


1313

by LumiOlivier



Series: The Number Next Door [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28472310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LumiOlivier/pseuds/LumiOlivier
Summary: He was once her annoying next door neighbor. Then, he was her international man of mystery. And now, he's her everything. Now that Seven and MC are settling in, however will they handle their domestic bliss?
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character
Series: The Number Next Door [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092032
Comments: 63
Kudos: 36





	1. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Helllloooooooo lovelies. Welp. Here we are. Back on the bullshit again. For those of you who don’t know, this is a sequel to the beauty that was the surprise smash hit of [year not found] called the Number Next Door. Well, here it is. A brand new year. And this has been requested so many times to get a sequel. And out of my weird, beautiful livestream came this beautiful disaster. So, to Evelyn and Emi, the two lovely masterminds that contributed to this mess along with myself, I love you both. I love the crack commune we built together. And I hope you know that I just talked to you half an hour ago at the time I’m writing this. I love you and you’re both absolutely wonderful. I’m also very delirious, so take that with a grain of salt. So, enjoy for the next however many chapters the stupidity that comes out of the livestream. We’ll discuss contests and guessing games at a later date. But because my dumbass decided to make this my New Year’s present to the world, I’m going to go to bed. Love you x

For the last few years, I’ve had my nose firmly pressed against the grindstone. In all honesty, I’m surprised I even have a nose left. I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am. My beautiful apartment in my beautiful building. I couldn’t be prouder of myself. More often than not, the term self-made is a whole lot of bullshit. I built my blog myself from the ground up. With my fanbase and my commissions, I’ve started my tiny empire. Yes, it may be tiny, but dammit, it’s mine. 

It’s too bad I have to say goodbye. I’m going to miss you, my little gem apartment. You might not have been the biggest and sometimes, your location may have been a pain in my ass, but I loved you. And I wouldn’t trade you for the world. You know that, don’t you? You’ve served me all too well. And I won’t ever forget you. But we all have to move on sometime, don’t we? I gave the wall one last kiss as I stared back into the place.

_I will remember you…_

_Will you remember me?_

_Don’t let your life pass you by…_

_Weep not for the memories_ …

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that was coming from next door. And a little smile crept across my face. Yeah. I might be leaving my apartment, but it’s totally worth it. Granted, I’m not leaving for good. Oh, hell no. It’s just going to be my base of operations for now. And I have no problem with where I’m going. But for now, I need to go next door and raise hell with my pain in the ass neighbor.

Knock, knock.

“Mmmyyeelllooo?” He’s such a dork.

“Did you really just blast Sarah McLachlan in here?” I giggled. He might be a dork, but dammit, he’s my dork.

“What?” Seven scoffed, “I just thought you’d want to give your apartment the proper respect of a good sendoff. Be glad I didn’t bring a twenty-one-gun salute.”

“I don’t think you should ever hold firearms, Seven,” I rolled my eyes, getting a much better welcome, “And I appreciate the sendoff. But you’re still a dork.”

“You’re not the first to tell me that,” he pointed out, “And likely not the last. You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” I sighed out, “I think so.”

“Hey, hey, hey…” Seven pulled me into his shoulder, “What’s that sad face all about, MC? When I asked you to move in with me, you said you’d be cool with it.”

“I am cool with it,” I assured him, “It’s just…”

“What?”

“It’s a shame I don’t have to deal with the hella annoying guy next door anymore…” I teased.

“Nope,” Seven kissed my cheek, “But look on the bright side. At least you get to share a bed with him now.”

“That I do,” I nodded, “Hey, Seven?”

“Yes, MC?”

I laid my head on his shoulder, “Are you sure you’re ready for something like this?”

“I’m beyond ready, baby,” Seven held me closer, “I think this is going to be a good thing. It’ll suck when I have to go out of town for work, but for the most part, I’m glad we’re doing this.”

“Samesies.” Oh, God, I have been hanging around Seven too much. No. No such thing, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he awed, “Look…The movers should be here in the next hour or so to take care of everything. It’ll be alright. Ok?”

“Ok,” I could breathe a little easier. Seven hiring movers for me was an absolute blessing.

“You know, MC,” Seven suggested, “I bet I know of a diner where there’s a milkshake with your name on it.”

“You had me at milkshake.” My boyfriend gets me. He gets me so well.

I took one more look next door. I’ll miss you, old friend. I mean, until I come back in a couple days or so to actually get something done. Something tells me when I’m living with Seven and Saeran, I’m not going to get much time to myself anymore. But like I said, it’s totally worth it. Things had been going well with us lately. It was time. Between my work on my blog and my new status in the RFA, it’ll be nice to have somewhere I can get away from it all and be in my seclusion. But I suppose that means…

I let out a little squeal of pure joy and delight as the lightbulb in my head turned on. Although, I probably should’ve warned Seven. He scares easily, “What the hell kind of demon just came out of you?”

“No demon!” I beamed, “I think I just found my next blog post!”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to have to redecorate my apartment,” I skipped down the hall, “It’s not like I’m going to be using my bedroom as a bedroom anymore. I could turn that room into something else entirely! And I can’t wait to do it!”

“I think you should,” Seven settled me, “You’re just now moving into a new place, MC. Your blog can be put on hold for a hot second.”

“But Seven…” I whined, “I get to do a full remodel job of my apartment. You have no idea how unbelievably excited that makes me.”

“You don’t have to do much,” he figured. Aww…Amateur, “Don’t you just need somewhere to sit and a stable place to put your laptop?”

“For the most part, yeah,” I had so many plans running through my head, “But I also need a space that can serve as inspiration. Something that can make these weird ass ideas of mine come to life. My apartment is my canvas and design is my medium. I’ll need to move some things around to get better functionality out of it. And when I do, I can promise you, my dear Seven, that blog post will be my best one to date.”

“Alright, nerd,” Seven gave me a little shove into the elevator, “But…You do know you can’t blog your new house…Right, MC? That’s not something that can ever see the light of day.”

“I know…” That was something that never needed to be said. I understood. When Seven and I became a thing, I knew what I was getting into. I knew he was an international man of mystery. My international man of mystery. I knew he handled incredibly classified information for a living. And sometimes, there were going to be people coming after him for that information. And I respected that. 

Given my PR fiasco a few months ago, I couldn’t believe he put that all on the line for me. Just so people would get off my back about my friendship with Zen. I’d never be able to fully repay him for that. Even if I spent the rest of my life trying. Still, we had each other. At the end of the day, that’s all that mattered. And no one was going anywhere. 

“I’m not saying that to dampen your spirits or anything,” Seven took my hand, “That doesn’t mean my house isn’t your house now, too, MC.”

“I know,” I cuddled into his shoulder, feeling the elevator move under our feet, “But you know, Seven…I might need to do some tweaking. Just a little bit. Not too much, but enough.”

“You’re not getting rid of my bed,” he stood his ground, “There are a lot of things in that house I can budge on, but there is no way in hell you’re getting rid of my bed.”

“I like your bed, though,” I melted inside. Most people would think their boyfriend having a car bed would be a major red flag, but not everyone has Seven’s car bed, “Not everybody gets to sleep in a Lamborghini.”

“True,” Seven gave me a nod, “Are you jealous?”

“It’s my bed now, too,” I giggled under my breath, “Seven…You’re adorable. You know that?”

“I had a hunch,” he stuck his hand out to the doors as they parted, “Can I get the door for you, my love?”

“Anytime.” God, this boy was a dork, but he was my dork. 

I was going to be sharing a bed with this dork. And a bathroom. And a kitchen, living room, office building…All with him. And with Saeran, too. I’m not totally leaving him out of it. He was the best unofficial assistant I ever had. And now, I was going to get a milkshake with his brother. This was happening. This was really happening. I couldn’t believe it, but it was happening.

One big strawberry milkshake. That’s all it took to calm me down again. And two straws. Because I wasn’t going to drink this all myself. How else was I supposed to keep up my girlish figure? By not depriving myself of the little things in life that make it worth living. That’s right, kids. And if that means sharing it with one of my favorite people in this world, then so be it.

“Hey, MC,” Seven asked, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Seven,” I allowed, “What’s on your mind?”

“Are you really happy to be moving in with me?” he sipped on our milkshake, “Because I wouldn’t want to be pushing you into this when you’re not ready for it.”

“I am,” I promised, “Seven, after all the shit we’ve been through…After my PR nightmare? After the bullshit that went down at the Googleplex event? After the bullshit with Trevor? It’s time for a change. And I think this is going to be one for the better. I know it will. Deep in the pit of my soul. And it’s not often I get that.”

“When was the last time?”

“The last time I got a good feeling like that?” I thought back, “Well…There was this one time when I moved into the building. There was this asshole that thought his porn was more important that the wellbeing of another person.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Seven played with my fingers, “I deleted that JAV from my laptop.”

“But where do you have it backed up?” I knew better. Seven wouldn’t freak over something like that and not have it saved somewhere.

“Nowhere,” he swore, “I deleted it completely and it’s a hundred percent gone from my life. I don’t need it anymore. I got something better.”

“You find a new porn star to drool over?” I wondered.

“I got a girlfriend instead,” Seven smiled, “I’d rather her saucy nudes than those of a total stranger. This time, I have someone to make an emotional connection with. That’s better than empty, meaningless one-man sex.”

“I’m proud of you, Seven,” I applauded, “You’re finally growing up.”

“Thanks, MC,” he took his well deserved bow, “I don’t need them to make me a man when I got you.”

“That’s…” I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. A part of me is somewhat flattered, but I’m not sure how deep that flattery goes, “That’s definitely something.”

“We need to be getting home,” Seven got up, “You need the full initiation into the household.”

“What?” I jabbed, “Is this the part where you make me take a blood oath?”

“Of course not,” he rolled his eyes, “You’re so silly, MC. It’s actually pretty standard. I’m just taking your fingerprints…Your retinal scan. Hair follicle, allergy test, blood sample, and a saliva swab, just to be sure. You know. Normal things. By the way, on an unrelated note, when was the last time you were submitted to a background check?”

“Excuse me?” What the hell did I get myself into? Because whatever Seven just rattled off made my head hurt.

“I’m joking, MC,” Seven pulled me onto my feet, “I’m just taking your fingerprints and a retinal scan for the door locks and the security system. It’s nothing overly elaborate. I had to do the same thing for Saeran when he moved in with me.”

“Alright,” I could breathe easier. This is my life now. Seven keeping me constantly on my toes. This was what I got to live with. 

When Seven and I got home, the two of us immediately made a beeline for his office. The home office. Not the next door to mine office. I kind of thought he was joking about the whole retinal scan and fingerprinting thing, but sure enough, I sat in front of this weird machine and waited for a green light to pass over my eyes. Then, all of my fingers sat on cold, black pads, getting the same treatment. 

“There,” Seven chirped, “All done. That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

“I never said it would be,” I pointed out, “But really? That’s it? That’s all I have to do?”

“One last thing,” he took his phone out and got a quick picture.

“What was that for?” I blinked the flash out of my eyes.

“I wanted a new wallpaper for my phone,” Seven showed me his screen, “See? You’re so cute, MC.”

“Take a better one,” I demanded, “I wasn’t ready for that.”

“That’s when they’re the best, though!” he squealed, taking another picture, “See? And now, you’re a kitty. And a very cute kitty, if I do say so myself.”

“Seven!” I felt a fire under my cheeks.

“Oh, hush,” Seven stole a quick kiss, no doubt getting that on camera, too, “You’re cute as hell, MC. Learn to live with it.”

“Fine…” I grumbled, trying to keep up my fake pouting, but this little shit made it so hard, “But I don’t have to be happy about it.”

“Yes, you do,” he shoved his finger in my face, “Do it…All the cool kids are doing it.”

“You’re exhausting,” I gently bit his finger, “You, my dear Seven, are exhausting. And I’m going to go take a bath, if that’s alright with you.”

“Be my guest,” Seven allowed, “This is your house, too, MC. Feel free to move about the cabin as you see fit.”

“My pleasure,” I started heading out, “Hey, Seven?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Should I expect you upstairs anytime soon?” I crossed my fingers.

“Not anytime soon.” Dammit, “I need to get these calibrated into the system before you accidentally set off my alarm and I have a SWAT team knocking at my door at two o’clock in the morning. Once was plenty.”

“Once?”

“When Saeran first moved in,” Seven explained, “I made the mistake of waiting on putting his prints in the system. Then, 2AM came, alarms went off, SWAT knocked my front door down. It was a mess. And we don’t need that happening again, so I’m going to put your prints into the system, ok? I’ll be up before you go to sleep. If all goes well, it shouldn’t take me more than an hour or so. I promise.”

“Ok.” I wanted to believe him. I really did. But something in my core said there was a chance of him staying down here into the early morning hours. I went back upstairs by myself and into our bathroom. That still felt strange on my tongue, but it was _our_ bathroom. Here I am…Home sweet home.


	2. Good Night, Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -*huff, huff* Holy shit...That was a fast run...I'm out of shape. Really should take up Vanderwood on that whole working out thing.
> 
> Hi, Seven. What are you doing here?
> 
> -You invited me from Man's Best Intern. What do you mean?
> 
> I know I did. But...Why don't you go get some water? I need to talk to the people.
> 
> -Ok...
> 
> Hello, internet.  
> How are you? I hope you're doing just lovely. Well, I think this might be the week. For those of you who are here from the Number Next Door (which, I hope you are. This is its sequel.), you remember when I used to say, if you can find my favorite line, I'll give you a one shot of your choosing? That'd be cool to do again, yeah? And...Well, there's another thing, too, but we'll save that for later. But if you can find my favorite line in this chapter, I'll give you a one shot. How does that sound? Sound good? I think so, too. And because I'm feeling particularly saucy, I'm not going to give you any hints. Find that shit yourself. Alright? K, love you! x

This was all I wanted. After a long ass day of packing, moving, and dealing with Seven on top of it all, I just wanted some peace and quiet in the bathtub. A simple request. And by god, if I’m not getting exactly that. In all honesty, I didn’t expect Seven to have such a big bathtub, but I’m sure as hell not complaining. This was downright lovely. If I’m not careful, I could fall asleep in here, but I’d be ok. Just me, my feet splashing in the water, and some quiet. I never thought I’d get this kind of bliss living here. Not with Seven’s special brand of manic. Then again, he’s also occupied in the basement with the security system.

But then, the squeaking of the door hinges caught me by surprise, “Excuse me?”

“Oh,” Saeran broke my blissful silence, his hand immediately going over his eyes, “Sorry, MC. I didn’t know you were in here.”

“Hi, Saeran,” I rolled onto my stomach, my arm hanging over the edge of the bathtub, “It’s alright. Did you need me for something?”

“Are you sure it’s cool?” he wondered, his eyes still covered, “I’m pretty sure Saeyoung would be pissed if he knew I was in here while you were naked.”

“But I’m not,” I assured him, “It’s alright, Saeran. I know you’re not going to be weird with me. What’s up?”

  
“I was wondering if there was a problem with the plumbing,” Saeran explained himself, “I heard the water in here running and I knew Saeyoung was downstairs.”

“Nope,” I shook my head, “It’s just me. I ran a bath.”

“It’s weird,” he sat down on the toilet seat, “I’m not used to someone else being in the house. I mean, I know you’ve stayed here a few times, but…You live here now.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” I took his other hand. He jumped at first, but it didn’t take him long to relax again, “I’m not either. I’ve never had roommates before. It’s always been just me.”

“You’ve always been on your own?” Saeran slowly took his hand off his eyes. Now that the mystery was out of the relationship, we could move on.

“Yep,” I nodded, “It’s going to be an adjustment for all of us. But I think we’ll manage. When we first met, I thought you were going to hate me.”

“Now,” he chuckled to himself, “I wouldn’t dream of it. No matter how big of a pain in the ass you might be.”

“Ditto,” I laughed with him. Yeah. We’re going to be just fine.

“Hey,” Saeran wondered, “Are you…Are you busy tonight?”

“Not that I know of,” I thought it over. Nothing was popping up, “Why?”

“I was thinking about watching some god awful TV,” he twiddled his thumbs, “You know…If you wanted to join me.”

“I’d love to,” I beamed. Even when I was living in my old apartment and I had a little downtime, it was nothing for me to turn on a guilty pleasure reality show every once in a while. Sometimes, the catty bitches would put me in a creative headspace, “Let me finish my bath and I’ll be in the living room in a sec, ok?”

“Ok,” Saeran’s face lit up. Oh yeah. We’ll be just fine. 

Saeran left the bathroom and I started draining the tub. Pajamas…Pajamas…I knew I had some of them here. Because the last time Seven stayed at my place, he stole my pajamas. He’s lucky he’s cute or I’d club him. But they were a green pair. A light green pair. A silky top and a pair of shorts. Once I was not naked, I walked out into the living room while Saeran went through the guide. Although, I don’t think he was expecting me to vault the couch.

“So!” I jumped into the empty spot next to him, “What kind of trash is on the menu for tonight?”

“Jesus Christ, MC,” Saeran clutched his chest, catching his breath, “Do I have to get you tested, too?”

“No,” I promised, “I’m fine. Speaking of needing to get tested, where’s your brother? Has he come up from downstairs yet?”

“Not that I know of,” he kept going through the channels, finally stopping on the Real Housewives. Again, I’m not going to say no to some catty bitches, “Did he get your fingerprints and your ret scan, yet?”

“Yeah.”

“And…” Saeran looked at me strange, “You didn’t think that was a little weird?”

“It’s understandable,” I shrugged, “I mean, it’s all for security purposes, right? If it means keeping me safe and those I care about safe, then by all means. Take my retinal scan and my fingerprints. I got nothing to hide.”

“You know, MC,” he inched a little closer to me, “You are an incredibly understanding human being.”

“I do what I can,” I smiled, “Let’s see what these bitches are up to this week.”

“Yes please!” I’ve never seen Saeran with such enthusiasm for anything. I didn’t think reality TV would be that catalyst. I’ll take it.

As the night continued on, Saeran and I kept pointing and laughing at how stupidly petty people could be. But then, Saeran’s comments started getting less and less frequent. And his head found its way onto my shoulder. He never struck me as the cuddly type. But I wasn’t going to say no. Before I knew it, the next time I looked over at Saeran, he was out like a light. Aww…It’s weird that cat fights were what put him to sleep, but here he was, sleeping like a baby. Sleep well, Saeran.

“Hey, MC!” Seven came up the stairs, “I…!”

“SHHH!” I hushed him, keeping my voice down, “Saeran fell asleep. I am not waking him.”

“Aww…” he gushed, “Isn’t he a cutie? Aside from him sleeping with my girlfriend. MC, you hussy!”

“It’s not like I had sex with Saeran, Seven,” I rolled my eyes, “I’m not cheating on you. We were watching TV and he fell asleep. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“I know, I know,” Seven gave me a quick little kiss, “You wouldn’t do that to me. Besides, Saeran’s not Zen.”

“That was dark…”

“But I’m funny,” he teased, “So, it all evens out.”

“Your dark sense of humor aside,” I shook him off, “What do we do about Saeran? Do we leave him or do we put him to bed?”

“I don’t know,” Seven winced, “I don’t think I’m the one qualified for this kind of thing.”

“Fine.” He’s your brother, Seven. You’re the one most qualified for this kind of thing, “I got it.”

“Bless you, MC,” he sighed out, “I’m going to head to bed. Will I see you there?”

“Absolutely,” I confirmed, “I’m going to put Saeran to bed first. I should be there in maybe fifteen minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting…” Seven gave me one last kiss and walked on his tiptoes all the way to the bedroom. He’s a dork. But he’s my dork and I love him. It’s not like I’m getting rid of him any time soon. We live in the same house now. 

But now, I had the hard part ahead of me. As much as I didn’t want to, I gave Saeran a little nudge, “Saeran…Saeran…”

CHOMP!

Saeran’s teeth were firmly affixed in my arm, “What the hell do you want?”

“Owie…” I winced, trying to shake him off, “Saeran, it’s just me.”

“Oh…” Saeran let me go, “I’m sorry, MC…”

“I just wanted you to go to bed,” I looked down at my arm, “You fell asleep in front of the TV and I wasn’t going to leave you out here. You bit me!”

“I’m sorry,” Saeran noticed the welt he left behind…and the blood coming up to the surface, “MC, you’re bleeding…”

“You also bit me,” I laughed it off, “I wasn’t really expecting that.”

“I’m sorry,” he bit his lip, “That’s kind of a defense mechanism. When someone wakes me up, I’m used to it being Saeyoung…And not nearly as gentle. How bad does that hurt?”

“I’ve had worse from neighborhood dogs,” I shrugged, “It’s not the end of the world.”

“Come on,” Saeran took my hand and pulled me onto my feet, “Let me at least get you a bandage for that.”

“It’s not all that bad, Saeran,” I promised, “Really. You don’t have to.”

“I just bit you, MC,” he dragged me off, “I might as well.”

“Alright,” I wasn’t going to fight him anymore. If Saeran wanted to get me a bandage for the barely a dot of blood on my arm, then so be it. He brought me into the kitchen and got a light pink box out of the pantry, “Really, Saeran? Hello Kitty bandages?”

“They’re Saeyoung’s,” Saeran defended, “Because God forbid we have normal bandages like adults.”

“Saeran,” I watched as he pulled the paper off, “This really isn’t…”

“Shut up, MC,” he stopped me, “Just…Let me take care of this. Idiot me bit you. The least I could do is take care of it.”

“Ok.” Saeran really was a sweetheart when he wanted to be. Albeit in some unorthodox ways, but he was trying, dammit. And I couldn’t be prouder of him.

“There,” Saeran smoothed my bandage down a little more, “If Saeyoung asks, you saved a baby from a burning building.”

“Um…Ok?” I looked at him strange, “Is that some sort of code you two have or is that just to keep him off your back?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“So, now that you’ve taken care of my arm,” I suggested, “Does that mean I can take care of you now, too?”

“What do you mean?” Saeran asked.

“Just shut up,” I laced my fingers between his, “Come with me.”

“Ok…” he wasn’t sure what to think of me. And honestly? I loved it. I already knew the layout of Seven’s house like the back of my hand. It’s not my first time being here. Down the hall off the kitchen, first room on the right, “Um…MC…This is my room.”

“Yeah,” I pushed the door open, “I know.”

“Aren’t you sleeping in Saeyoung’s bed?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, “But we’re not in his room. We’re in your room.”

“Why are we in my room?” Saeran wondered, still thinking I’m on drugs, no doubt.

“Because you need to go to bed,” I brought him down to his bed. Not a Lamborghini like his brother’s, but a big boy bed. I’m not going to judge, “And you passed out on my shoulder.”

“So?”

“Go to sleep, Saeran,” I pulled the blanket over him and kissed his forehead, “Good night.”

That boy was like a deer in the headlights. But a very cute deer in the headlights. He still had no idea what to think about me, but in a split second, I think he came to terms with it. Saeran nestled down into his bed, “Good night, MC. Do you think you could kill the light on your way out?”

“Already on it,” I flipped the switch, “Good night.”

“Night…”

Oh, yeah. I think we’ll be just fine. I left Saeran’s room and headed just a little further down the hall and crawled into bed with Seven, content with the world. This was all I needed. Seven’s arm went around me and he pulled me into his chest, “Good night, sweetheart.”

“Good night, Seven,” I cuddled into him.

“Hey, MC,” Seven took my hand, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“You’re not thinking about leaving me for Saeran, are you?” he wondered, “Because it’d be an easy transition. We live in the same house. You could just sneak over to his room any time of the night.”

“No, Seven,” I wrote off his ridiculous ramblings, “I’m not leaving you for Saeran. I love Saeran. Don’t get me wrong. But that’s a different kind of love. I’m not leaving you. I love you too much to do something so stupid to you. You have nothing to worry about. Ok?”

“Ok,” Seven leaned over and kissed my cheek, “Good night.”

“Good night.” These two were exhausting. But dammit, they’re cute. A little broken, but there’s nothing totally unfixable.

Look at this…Everything’s so wonderful. I got my man on my back. I got his brother tucked into bed. I’m sleeping in a cut up Lamborghini. Everything’s really coming up MC, isn’t it? And things only got better when I woke up the next morning…And the smell coming from the kitchen was enough to get me out of bed.


	3. Let's Get Cupcakes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, internet. You cute little peanut, you. How are you? It’s lovely to see you again. Is that a new shirt? New hat? New scarf? I’m thinking it’s a new scarf. It looks nice on you. Well…I’m going to let you in on a little secret. In the original cut of this, I was going to have last week’s chapter end with a holy shit moment of a gun being pressed to MC’s forehead when she woke up and it being Vanderwood on the other end, horrendously paranoid. Because there’s no way Seven would bring a lady home. But then, I remembered MC and Vanderwood have met, so…Here we are. The alternate version.

When I walked out into the kitchen, I didn’t expect the kitchen to be so quiet. But damn, it smelled like pancakes one only gets on Christmas morning. There was something magical in this kitchen. And if we’re being completely honest, I didn’t expect it to be coming from Saeran, of all people. I walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the granite island in front of the stove, watching Saeran delicately flip each pancake.

“You know, Saeran,” I admitted, “You strike me more as a Boo Berry man.”

“Count Chocula or nothing,” Saeran argued, “Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can score some Frute Brute through nefarious channels. I got a couple boxes in the pantry, if you want some.”

“The life you live outside these walls worries me,” I giggled a bit, “So, what’s the occasion you’re making breakfast?”

“I was hungry,” he shrugged, “You want me make you some?”

“I got it,” I brushed him off, “I can take care of me. Besides, I’m not all that hungry.”

“You really shouldn’t skip meals, MC,” Saeran scolded me like I was a child. Gee, I’ve heard this one before.

“You sound like your brother, Saeran,” I rolled his eyes, “I’ll live. I could use some coffee, though. Tell me there’s some of that made.”

“Absolutely,” he gave me the pot and got a cup for me. Hot damn. It’s not good enough that the food is top notch, but holy shit, the service is a ten out of ten, too, “MC, you really think there isn’t going to be a high amount of caffeine in this house? You must really be new here. And say what you will. Coffee isn’t breakfast. I might sound like Saeyoung, but he’s got a point.”

“Holy hell, mark that one on that calendar!” Seven came in, still half asleep, “Saeran agrees with me! What does he agree with me on, MC?”

“That I shouldn’t skip meals.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” Seven confirmed, getting a much more proper kiss good morning, “By the way, good morning, baby.”

“Morning,” I melted inside. But then, Seven ran around the island and left a big smooch on Saeran’s cheek, “Good morning, brother.”

“SAEYOUNG, WHAT THE HELL?!” Saeran backed off, “What in God’s green earth is your damn problem? You ever pull that shit again and I will beat your ass senseless! Do you understand?!”

“Such language!” Seven gasped, “My poor little boy ears…They’re delicate, Saeran!”

“Are you serious?” Saeran stared a hole through his brother.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “Seriously, Seven?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Seven brushed us off, “You make a point.”

“So,” I wrapped my arms around my boyfriend’s waist and laid my head in his back, “What kind of fun and adventure do we have planned for today?”

“I have to work,” Seven winced, “Sorry, MC. I got a call from the office a few minutes ago. My services are required. For justice never sleeps!”

“Justice also needs to remember,” I nuzzled my face on his back, “that he has a girlfriend waiting for him at home. And it’d be nice to spend a little time together once in a while.”

“I know,” Seven spun around, leaving a gentle kiss on the top of my head, “I know I got you waiting for me, but I need to go keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. Sorry, sweetheart.”

“I know,” I let it go, “I understand. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find something to keep me busy.”

“Like what?”

“I could call Zen,” I thought it over, “See if he’s busy. If he’s not, we could hang out.”

“Zen’s on location,” Seven pointed out, “He says he won’t be back until the next RFA party.”

“I really should talk to V about that,” I haven’t heard from him in a couple weeks. I should at least check in. 

“Good luck,” Seven saluted me, “V’s next to impossible to get a hold of. Even I don’t always get through to him.”

Now would probably be a bad time to tell Seven that V specifically gave me a burner phone in case I ever had questions about RFA planning, “Or…Maybe I could hang out with Saeran. That wouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Of course not,” Saeran allowed, sliding a plate of pancakes to me. Looks like I’m getting breakfast. Whether I want it or not. Not that I’m complaining. Saeran’s cooking is usually wonderful. And like I said, these pancakes smell like Christmas. I can’t be mad at that, “I mean, nothing seems more exciting than a day of snacks and reality TV.”

“You know Vanderwood’s just going to yell at you, Saeran,” Seven jabbed, “All because you’re wasting the day.”

“Vanderwood has no right to judge me.”

“Is Vanderwood coming by today?” I wondered.

“He’s supposed to,” Seven nodded, “Who knows? He could already be here. Always watching, always judging. Hiding in the walls. In the curtains. In the air ducts. We may never know.”

“You worry me, Seven…” I laid my head on his hip, “And this is before coffee.”

“We don’t let Saeyoung have coffee,” Saeran assured me, “It’s for everyone’s personal safety. It’s to keep the world from imploding.”

“But I can mainline Red Bull and Rockstar like it’s nobody’s business!” Seven chimed.

“No,” Saeran grabbed the newspaper off the counter and rolled it up, beating his brother on the head, “No, Saeyoung, no.”

“Ow!” Seven blocked him, “Ow! Saeran! Owie! MC! Saeran’s beating me!”

Knock, knock.

“Seven?” a deep, rumbly voice called from the front door.

“Wow,” Seven froze, “It’s amazing how good Vanderwood’s timing is. Vanderwood! My life is in danger!”

“What?” Vanderwood came running into the kitchen, only to let out a sigh of relief…And possible exasperation, “Oh, Jesus Christ, Seven…”

“Saeran’s beating me…”

“Then, grow a pair and beat him back,” Vanderwood grabbed the remains of the coffee pot and drank it straight. I will never be as metal as Vanderwood. And I’ve accepted that, “Saeran, what are you beating him with? Bare knuckle or is there a weapon involved?”

“A rolled up newspaper,” Saeran tossed the paper back on the counter.

“Dear God…” Vanderwood held his face in his hands, “MC, how do you deal with these two on your own?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “With a little bit of willpower, anything is possible?”

“Whatever you say, after school special,” he brushed me off, “Just one more question.”

“What’s that, Vandy?” Seven asked.

“Don’t call me Vandy.”

“Too bad,” Seven stood his ground, “You are Vandy. What’s on your mind?”

“When did MC move in?”

“Yesterday,” I told him.

“Ok,” he sighed out, “Good…”

“You’re not losing it,” Seven assured him, “You’re not that old.”

“I’m not old at all, Seven,” Vanderwood sat down.

“You already got a foot in the grave,” Seven teased, “Your bones creak. You’re turning to dust! Before we know it, you’re going to end up in a coffee can on the mantle.”

“First of all,” Vanderwood rolled his eyes, “I don’t have plans on cremation. Second, I would be kept in something much nicer than a coffee can. And thirdly, I don’t get paid enough to deal with you on a daily basis.”

“No, you do not,” Seven agreed.

“MC,” Vanderwood draped an arm around me, “You can’t begin to imagine what you signed yourself up for, nor how much easier you’re going to make my life by living here.”

“You’re welcome,” I giggled. I really did feel for Vanderwood, but I think we’ll manage. Between the two of us. 

“MC moving in is like me getting a nanny,” Vanderwood admitted, “For my two biggest pains in my ass.”

“But you have to admit,” I told him, “They’re adorable pains in the ass.”

“Wait a second,” Seven thought, “You _are_ the nanny, Vanderwood. MC’s like the single mom that just came home from a long shift at work and just needs a nice bubble bath and a glass of wine.”

“What the hell kind of Lifetime movie do you make me out to be, Seven?” I wondered.

“You could be worse,” Saeran argued, “You could be a Hallmark Christmas movie.”

“With three plots, two locations, and maybe six actors?”

“Absolutely.”

“I love you, Saeran,” I laughed.

“As long as someone else deals with you,” Vanderwood got up, “That’s all that matters.”

“Speaking of things that matter,” Seven gave me one last kiss, “I need to be going. I love you, MC.”

“I love you, too,” I smiled. He’s so sweet, “I’m guessing you’re going to the office.”

“Yep,” Seven chimed, “Justice awaits! I’m coming, Lady Justice!”

And there he goes. There goes my lovable ball of energy. And so, Seven’s exit marked the beginning of my day. I didn’t expect it to just be Saeran and me while Vanderwood took care of the house. As delightful as it was to watch catty bitches being catty with Saeran and both of us being covered in Cheeto dust, there had to be a point. We couldn’t do this all day.

“Saeran,” I groaned, “I’m bored. I know they don’t look it because of all the plastic in their bodies, but these bitches are getting old. No matter how hard they’re trying to fight it.”

“Yeah,” Saeran agreed, “Me, too. They’re alright, but after one finds out they’re all being cheated on and they all share a husband without knowing it, it just gets to be too much. If that’s the case then, what should we do?”

“I don’t know…”

“Could change the channel,” Saeran skimmed through the guide, “Hey, Cupcake Wars is on. We could lay here and drool.”

“No.” But cupcakes did sound good, “Instead of watching cupcakes, you want to go get one instead?”

“That does sound good,” he agreed, “Hey…Watch this.”

“Ok.”

“Hey, Vanderwood!” Saeran called out.

“What?” Vanderwood yelled over the vacuum humming.

“Will you make me a cupcake?” he asked.

“No!”

“Dammit,” Saeran grumbled, pushing himself up from the couch, “Alright, MC. Let’s go get cupcakes.”

“Yay…” I grabbed his hand and pulled myself onto my feet. Besides, the sugar buzz wouldn’t kill us.

The two of us headed out to this cute little bakery a blogger friend of mine recommended to me a couple years ago. It started out as a pop up, but they only made designer cupcakes. And they’re always so pretty. Nine times out of ten, the only people that came in here were food bloggers looking for free cupcakes in exchange for advertising, but we weren’t going to stoop that low. But then, they put down roots and here we are.

There was something in this bakery…It felt magical. Something about the bright, pastel colors and the very Alice in Wonderland vibes…It put me in a good place. And not just the angel food cupcake. With the pastel pink frosting and the edible white pearls on it and the strawberry filling in it. I loved this. This was what my day was missing. And then, out of absolute nowhere, something clicked in my head.

“You know what, Saeran?”

“What, MC?” Saeran was lost in his own cupcake. His little piece of a galaxy all on top of some devil’s food. 

“While we’re out,” I suggested, “I want a can of paint.”

“For what?” he wondered.

“Hold on…” Oh yeah…There was a floodgate in my brain that just broke, “Do you know how long Seven’s going to be working?”

“I never do,” he shrugged, “He could be back tonight. He could be gone a week. That’s why his office is an apartment.”

“I know,” I reminded him, “I’ve been in Seven’s office. A million times.”

“I know you have. I was there when you were in his office.”

“I need to do some sort of renovation,” I sighed out, “Something that’s low risk. But something that gets this energy out of me.”

“You mean,” Saeran thought, “Like…A bathroom?”

“A bathroom sounds like a good idea,” I never really unleashed full creativity on a bathroom before. That sounds fantastic.

“If you want,” he allowed, “You can do something with my bathroom.”

“Really?” I perked up.

“If you want.”

  
“Can I make a blog post about it?” I crossed my fingers.

“I guess so,” Saeran nodded, “It’s not like there’s any windows. It should be safe. It’s nondescript. That should be fine.”

“Awesome!” I squeaked, jumping up from our table, “Grab your jacket, Saeran. We need to go shopping.”

“Wait,” Saeran wondered, “I’m helping you?”

“You’re damn right you are!” I sang, “It’s your bathroom, Saeran. You’re going to have a say in this. Not to mention, you’re the best unofficial assistant I ever had. Come on! Let’s go!”

“Fine…”

This is going to be a fun afternoon. I can smell it. And it smells like new paint.


	4. Don't Let MC into Her Zone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, friends! Oh, I like this week’s chapter. Why? Well, you’ll see. There’s a reason why we don’t let MC into her zone. WHY’D YOU LET MC INTO HER ZONE? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. You didn’t deserve that. Now, I’m going to go over here and…I don’t know. Do a thing? Maybe? I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m horrendously scatterbrained right now. Don’t look at me like that. See you next week! Or tonight, as the case may be! x

Am I weird for loving the smell of a hardware store? Because hot damn, do I love the smell of a hardware store. It’s the smell of new beginnings. It’s the smell of fresh construction. It’s the smell of new paint. It’s the smell of hard labor and I absolutely loved it. And I needed that smell injected directly into my veins. I need it put into a liquid form and put into my body any way I could get it.

The smell of a hardware store gave me the same sense of joy in my heart that a good dumpster gave me. Not the smell of the dumpster, of course, but the feeling. I had that in the pit of my soul. That may or may not be on the docket for today, but we’ll see. We had to wait for that one. I might need to visit the dumpsters, but now that I know my favorite dumpster happened to be outside where two of my newer friends happen to work (and one of them happens to run it like a well-oiled machine), I don’t know if I could pick that one ever again. It’s almost as if the mysticism was ruined.

But I digress. Back to the task at hand. I brought Saeran over to the paint section and looked at the wall of various paint chips, “Saeran, pick a color.”

“Any color?” Saeran asked, running his hand over all the colors. My god, it’s like bringing a two-year-old in here. The only difference is that they’re not all over the floor. Yet.

“Any color you want.” Let no one say I wouldn’t be up for a challenge. Besides, this also wasn’t my bathroom. 

“Alright,” he took a second and reached for a paint chip at random, handing it off to me, “This one.”

“Really?” I wondered, looking over this really pretty dark turquoise, “I don’t know, Saeran. Your bathroom’s kind of small for something this dark.”

“You said any color,” Saeran argued, “What? Are you backing away from the challenge? That doesn’t sound like the MC I know. She’s dating my brother. To not want to kill him on a daily basis is a challenge enough. If she can do that, she can do anything. Including using this color.”

“Alright then, asshole,” I got defensive, “Pick an accent color, too.”

Someone was feeling like a particularly cheeky shit today. Saeran didn’t just grab an accent color, “Here. Black.”

“Alright,” I gritted my teeth. How the hell was I supposed to pull this off? But then, I got to thinking. And we all know what kind of monster MC turns into when she starts thinking, “And bronze as a metal. No! Not bronze. Copper. Copper would be better.”

“What’s the difference?” Saeran looked at me weird.

“Copper’s a little lighter than bronze,” I grabbed the paint chips out of Saeran’s hand, “Given that we have such dark colors for our main colors, it’d probably be a better idea to have something a bit lighter in the fixtures. Or maybe brushed nickel…”

“What?”

“You brought this on yourself, Saeran,” I stood my ground, “You said it was cool for me to play with your bathroom. This is what happens. Ooh…Maybe antique brass. That would be nice in there, too.”

“You’re exhausting.”

“This shit’s my bread and butter,” I giggled, “Let me have this. Wait a second, how do you feel about wainscotting?”

“What?” Oh, he’s so cute. And so out of his realm here.

“Do you trust me?” I asked, pulling up a Pinterest post of wainscotting. God knows I had a few boards with that on it. But I think I’ll go with antique brass. Antique brass sounds like a good idea. It’s kind of dark, kind of gold. And it’ll look really nice against that dark turquoise.

“Kind of,” Saeran questioned my mental state. I could see it in his eyes. But sue me. I’m getting excited. Let me have this, dammit. I showed him my phone screen, “Is that wains…whatever the hell you were rattling on about?”

“Yes,” I nodded, “That’s wainscotting. Isn’t it pretty?”

“It does look nice,” he agreed, “Is that what it’d look like in my bathroom?”

“Not quite.” Maybe we scrap the wainscotting idea, “Maybe we could do subway tile instead. And just accent it with the dark turquoise and black. A bright white subway tile and the dark turquoise and black would be nice.”

“Why do I have that feeling I created a monster?” Saeran worried.

“Or beadboard…” I thought it over, “Beadboard would be nice, too. It’s kind of like wainscotting, but thinner.”

“MC?” he poked at me, “MC, you’re scaring me.”

“And antique brass for the fixtures,” I decided, “Yeah…Yeah. It’s coming together.”

“I see I’ve opened a can of worms here,” Saeran winced, “Mistakes were made.”

“Nope,” I shook my head, sliding the paint chips across the counter. I think we could get away with a quart each. That should be fine.

“Should I call Saeyoung?” he wondered, “Tell him you’re having some sort of episode?”

“I’m in my zone, Saeran,” I clarified, “I’m alright. I’m not having an episode. You know, I kind of want to do subway tile instead, now that I think about it. Instead of doing the wainscotting. Or the beadboard. I like subway tile. I wonder if I can get that in a matte black. I love a good matte black.”

“MC…?”

“And against that turquoise?” I swooned, “Oh, that’d be so pretty, Saeran. I’m so glad we did this.”

But then, I’m not sure what possessed me, but an incoherent squeal came out of my throat, making Saeran jump out of his skin, “What?! What the hell was that?!”

“What if we throw a little bit of eggplant here and there?” This project got me way more excited than I thought it would. Because I cannot wait to get into Saeran’s bathroom now. But then, I turned down my own idea, “No. We need to keep this pallete simple. Black, dark turquoise, and antique brass. I like that. That’s a good combination. We don’t need to overcomplicate this. Saeran, we need to go get a few accessories and a few boxes of tiles. Do you know the dimensions of your bathroom?”

“How the hell should I know?”

“I’ll start with a few boxes,” I grabbed some matte black tiles. Oh…These are pretty. I like this. This is going to be a fun afternoon, “If I need more, I can always send you.”

“I’m not your assistant, MC,” Saeran argued.

“Yeah,” I nodded, “Yeah, you are. I’ve always told you that you’re the best unofficial assistant I never had, Saeran. You ready? I’m ready.”

“Did I have any say in this since we started?”

“Yes, you have.” He wasn’t going to come in here with that bullshit, “I let you pick the colors, did I not?”

“Yeah, but…”

“But nothing,” I cut him off, “And I let you pick finishes, too. And I let you pick between subway tile and wainscotting. I don’t want to hear that.”

“Well…” Saeran knew he was cornered. I won. And he knew it.

“Alright then,” I beamed, taking pride in my victory, “Shall we?”

I couldn’t wait for us to get home. That bathroom is going to be the absolute best. And possibly the crown jewel of the house. But I digress. The second we got home, I locked myself in Saeran’s bathroom and got to painting. Two walls were going to be matte black subway tile. One will be that pretty dark turquoise and the wall in the shower will be black subway tile, too. I will say this, though. God bless peel and stick tiles. Those were the best. I hardly ever used them, but when I did…I keep forgetting how much I love them.

A little while later, I heard a knock at the door. Then, the door squeaked open. Saeran stood in the doorway with a juice box in his hand, “Hey, MC? You doing ok in here?”

“I’m just humming right along,” I was already on the other side of the bathroom ready to start another row of tile. Everything’s coming out nice and straight and I couldn’t be happier.

“You want any help?” he offered.

“I got it,” I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I wanted to, “But thank you.”

“You sure?” Saeran asked, “It’s not like I got anything else going on.”

“I’m sure,” I peeled another tile, “I got it.”

“Alright,” he left me to my work and I did another row. As the day kept on, I managed to get both the walls done. That couldn’t have taken me more than an hour. Damn, I’m good at this! 

“Hey, MC?” Saeran came back in, taking a look around in complete awe, “Wow…You’ve been busy.”

“Yep!” I beamed with pride, “I just finished putting up the tile. I like it, Saeran. I like it so much.”

“Well,” he asked, “You want some dinner?”

“I’m not all that hungry,” I brushed him off, “But thank you.”

“MC,” Saeran leaned against the freshly tiled wall, “What time do you think it is right now?”

“It can’t be any later than four,” I figured, grabbing my phone off the sink. When the screen lit up, I had a feeling this was wrong. This felt wrong.

“What’s it say, MC?” he had a certain smugness on his face.

“It’s…”

“What was that, MC?”

“It’s ten o’clock,” I annunciated a little better.

“What else is that there?” Saeran looked over my shoulder.

“Two text messages and a missed call…” I never heard my phone going off. And now, I feel bad.

“So,” he wondered, “Is this what your zone looks like? Because I got a feeling there’s someone worried about you. Other than me.”

“Oops…” I bit my lip, “I think I got a little too into my zone.”

“Come on,” Saeran pulled me onto my feet, “If I didn’t feed you, Saeyoung would kill me. And there’s no way in hell you could pay me to cook right now. Vanderwood left three hours ago. Is there even anywhere that would be open right now?”

“The diner’s open,” I melted inside. I know that’s only for Seven and me when one of us finishes a job, but it might be our only option right now.

“The diner sounds good,” Saeran agreed, “But I’m thinking something a little better.”

“There’s better than the diner?” I gasped, “Saeran, you speak such blasphemes in this house?”

“Oh, God, there’s two of them,” he rolled his eyes, “If I’m buying, I’m picking.”

“I didn’t know you were buying.”

“Call this me repaying you for your boredom renovation,” Saeran smiled a bit, “I know a really good dive bar around the corner. And since your perception of time just went out the window, you’ve more than earned yourself a break.”

“Thank you, Saeran,” I wrapped myself around his arm, “Let me go clean up a little bit. I’m all covered in wall adhesive and paint and sweat. I could use a shower.”

“Go ahead,” he let me go, “Besides, I need to get ready, too.”

“Ok,” I started heading down the hall, “If you need a bathroom, you can borrow ours.”

“I’m going to have to,” Saeran scoffed, “You decided to tear mine apart on a whim.”

“Sorry…” I cringed, “It’s my go-to. If I had a dollar for every time I renovated something out of boredom, I’d be able to afford to renovate this entire house at least twice over.”

“Yikes,” he threw an arm around me, “At what point do you admit to yourself you have a problem, MC?”

“I don’t have a problem,” I assured him, “I have solutions. And a lot of them. That’s why I randomly renovate your bathroom.”

“Thank you,” Saeran hugged me a bit, “But go on. Go get less gross. We’ll leave in, say, twenty minutes?”

“Are you sure that’d be ok?” I asked, “It’s not going to be closed by then?”

“MC, MC, MC,” he awed, “You’re so adorable.”

“I try my best,” I admitted, “But why do you say that?”

“Because tonight,” a little smirk crept across Saeran’s face, “I think I’m going to show you a whole new world through a brand new pair of eyes. I’m going to show you what I see.”

The thought of what that could mean concerned me, but who was I to turn him down? I can’t say no to that face, “Alright, Saeran. Twenty minutes?”

“Twenty minutes,” he sent me off, “Go.”

“Got it!” What the hell was I about to get myself into? It concerned me, but what the hell? It might be fun. It’s not like Saeran would ever intentionally put me in danger. Seven’s the same way. And if I got hurt on Saeran’s watch, I don’t think Seven would ever forgive him. I only had twenty minutes to get ready. I took off for the bathroom and prepared myself for whatever may come next.


	5. Take a Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you lovely individual. I know this is out a little earlier than usual today. You may be asking yourself why. Well, if you’d stop being such a chatterbox, I’ll tell you why. Because I have this idea. Because I don’t just post a 1313 chapter every Friday, but I also post a reboot for Man’s Best Intern. So, I figured I’d post them an hour apart. Why? I don’t know. For the sake of flow. So, that’s how it’s going to be from now on. I’ll post 1313 at 11AM USC and Man’s Best Intern at 12PM USC. Sound like a plan? I think so, too.
> 
> So…How are you? Are you well? Are you unwell? Are you in need of a hug or possibly in need of a high five? How about both? Here. Have both. It’s lovely to have you here. Make yourselves at home. Kick your feet up. Just make sure your shoes don’t leave marks on my coffee table. That’d be a bummer. Because…I have here a contest. One that I haven’t done in a couple chapters and I don’t know why. Just forget to put the notice up, I guess. If you can find this week’s favorite line, you, my love, earn a one-shot of your choosing. If you’d like a hint, it’s an MC line. Now, that could mean one of two things. It could be an MC in her head line or an MC out loud line. Sound like a plan? Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s get going!

I…Love it. Before I moved in with Seven and Saeran, I never really made it a habit to go into dive bars. They just weren’t my thing. But then…Saeran. Bless you, Saeran. Saeran brings me into this one just down the street from our house. I think I’m in love. Walking through the front door put such a vibe in my heart. Even to look around, this place is very bohemian. I needed to be in here every day. Late at night, early in the afternoon, it didn’t matter which. It gave me the strangest sense of peace. I didn’t understand it, but maybe it’s better if I didn’t.

“Saeran,” I wondered, “How long has this been here?”

“A couple years,” Saeran pulled up a stool for me at the bar, “I almost got a job here once, but I turned it down.”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t ready for something like that yet,” he fiddled with his jacket sleeve, “But maybe one day. I’m sure the owner wouldn’t say no if I asked.”

“It’s really cozy in here,” I was a sucker for exposed brick. Sue me.

“Yeah, it is,” Saeran nodded, “This is kind of like my home away from home. Saeyoung has the diner. I got here. It’s like…my safe place. You know? If all else fails and I don’t want to be at home anymore, I know I can always come here.”

“That was beautiful, Saeran,” I rested my head on his shoulder.

“And the best part about you going out with me this time?” he smirked, “I won’t take you to a porn theater after this.”

“That was an accident!” I squeaked, “Even now, if I tell Seven I don’t know, he says he gets immediate flashbacks to that particular incident.”

“Uh-huh,” Saeran teased, “I’m sure it was.”

“It was!”

“Excuse me,” he waved down a bartender, “Can I get two orders of fries and a grilled cheese please?”

“Got it!” the bartender ran off to put our order in.

“Wait,” I thought, “Saeran, we could’ve gotten this at the diner.”

“Not like this,” he promised, “When you order fries here, they’re loaded by default. And they’re so good, MC. My god, they’re so good. But now that I think about it…Hey! Excuse me!”

“Yes, sir?” the bartender came back, “What can I get you?”

“On one of those fry orders,” Saeran requested, “Put curry sauce on them.”

“Ok.” And she took off again. Bless her.

“Curry sauce?” I looked at him strange. Never have I ever thought to put curry on my fries.

“It’s…So…Good…” Saeran drooled, “I mean, it’s not like when I make curry, but still, it’s amazing. How do you feel about spicy food, MC?”

“I can handle spicy food.” I remember putting away buffalo wings on my birthday once like it was nobody’s business. And those were hotter than hell.

“Both of those fries need curry sauce on them!” Saeran called after the bartender.

“Ok!”

“Aren’t you glad you let me pick this, MC?” Saeran gave me a nudge.

“Alright,” I agreed, “This was, in fact, a good idea.”

“MC?” Oh, there was a voice I could’ve went without hearing tonight. I just wanted to come in here with a good friend and relax after a long day of working on his bathroom. Why couldn’t I have that? Because MC isn’t allowed to have nice things.

Still, I slapped on a cordial smile and pulled through, “Trevor…Hi.”

Saeran leaned over to me, “Who’s Trevor?”

“Oh,” Trevor looked over at Saeran, just as confused, “This isn’t the same guy you were with last time. I mean…They do kind of look the same, though. If you squint hard enough. I’m guessing you moved on from him.”

“No,” I grumbled, “Please leave us alone.”

“This is a public place, MC,” Trevor took a seat next to me, “If I want to stay here, I’m going to.”

“But her private space isn’t public,” Saeran jumped on the defensive. I love him. 

“Really?” Trevor rolled his eyes, mumbling to himself, “You could’ve fooled me.”

“Excuse me?” Saeran’s blood boiled. I knew that didn’t take much because Saeran had a touchy temper. But he seemed to be even worse when it had to do with me, “Care to say that again?”

“What?” Trevor awed, “I always thought MC’s personal space was _everyone’s_ personal space. She can pretend to be a prude all she wants, but I know better. I know what she’s really like.”

“Saeran,” I took his hand before he could ball it up into a fist. Even while I held his hand, I could feel his fingers curling up, “No.”

“MC…” Saeran growled, “He…”

“Trevor,” I cut Saeran off, “Have you been drinking?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Trevor scoffed.

“Just humor me,” I insisted, “Have you?”

“No,” he looked at me like I was on drugs, “Why?”

As much as I appreciate Saeran’s gut instinct saying to go to bat for me, this was one of those I needed to do on my own. Without another second going by, I threw my fist into Trevor’s face, not aiming for anywhere specific. His eye, his nose, his big damn mouth. It didn’t matter. As long as I inflicted pain on him somewhere visible. Not that him drinking would’ve been a viable excuse for him being a dick anyway, but that would’ve been much more understandable. This was just him being a dick for general purposes.

“Listen to me, you son of a bitch,” I snapped, getting in his rapidly bruising face. I didn’t think I punched him that hard, but I’m not complaining, “I’ve tried being nice to you. It’s not my fault you mistook my kindness for flirting. You and I were never going to happen in the first place. I am not one of your random bar floozies. My love life is not your business. That one over there? That’s my boyfriend’s brother. The two of us are just hanging out. We’ve been working our asses off all day and deserve a goddamn break. Now, leave me alone.”

“MC…”

“No,” I stopped him before he could start, “I’m done with you. I’m done trying to get you to understand. I’m done coddling you. We’re done.”

“But MC,” Trevor started moving a little closer, his arm sneaking around my waist. My god, this guy does not know how to take a hint. To think we were actually friends once.

“No,” I hushed him, “If you thought I was a loose cannon a second ago, let me introduce you to Saeran.”

“Who the hell is Saeran?”

“I’m Saeran,” he growled.

“Meet Saeran,” I introduced him while simultaneously holding him back like a junkyard dog, “He’s a Gemini. And ironically, he’s also half of a pair of twins. He’s one of my best friends and I happen to be seeing his brother regularly. Especially since we live together now. I see his brother every day. I also see you every day, Saeran.”

“Yes, you do.”

“But the best part about Saeran?” I wrapped my arms around Saeran’s waist, doing my best to get him to calm down, “He has an incredibly touchy temper. One wrong word or even looking at his shoes the wrong way and it could very easily be your funeral. Sometimes, that’s not necessarily a good thing, but when assholes get in my face and think I owe them something, Saeran’s temper is a beautiful thing to have.”

“And?” Trevor tried keeping up his façade, but I could see it cracking. Or maybe that’s just from the initial punch to the face. But Trevor looked Saeran over, “He seems like the kind of guy that’s all mouth.”

“MC,” Saeran begged, his hands shaking, “Please? Can I? Just once?”

“No,” I kept holding him back, “He’s not worth it. You got better things to worry about.”

“Excuse me,” Saeran leaned over the bar, catching the attention of the bartender, “Can you wrap up our order please?”

“It’s almost out, honey,” she promised, “That’s not a problem.”

“Thank you,” Saeran shot her a quick smile, “Are you going to be ok, MC?”

“Me?” I chuckled nervously, “Saeran, I’d be more worried about you at this point.”

“I’m sorry,” he pulled me into his chest, “This was supposed to be a fun night out, just the two of us.”

“It’s not your fault,” I assured him, “How were you supposed to know some asshole was going to come in here and do what he does best?”

“Here you are, sir,” the bartender slid a full carryout bag across the bar.

“Thank you,” Saeran grabbed the handles, “You want to get out of here, MC?”

“Yes please.”

“Hold on,” he patted his pockets down, “I’m forgetting something.”

“What?” I wondered. His keys were in his left pocket, his wallet was in his right pocket, and his phone was in his back pocket. I knew how that boy operated. What could he possibly be missing?

“It’s just one more thing before we go…”

BAM!

Saeran’s fist went into Trevor’s face, much like mine did. Only this time, I think it had a little more power behind it. And Trevor fell to the floor, “Jesus Christ, Saeran!”

“Someone didn’t think I had the power to back up my mouth,” Saeran laced his fingers between mine, “I had to prove him wrong.”

I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he nursed his reddening knuckles. And the two of us walked out the front door with no resistance.

Saeran and I took a walk to a nearby park and made ourselves comfortable on top of a jungle gym. I liked it up here. Quiet, peaceful. Everything would be ok. Saeran popped the lid on my fries for me and I took my first initial bite. And my god…That was magical. That made sense. It’s better than ketchup. And spicier than ketchup. Hot damn, that’s so good.

“So,” Saeran wondered, “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “Maybe we should just go home for tonight.”

“Really?” he whined, “But the night is still young.”

“Your bathroom is still in ruins, Saeran,” I reminded him, “I should probably finish that tonight.”

“It’s still functional, though,” Saeran argued, “Give it up for the night, MC. We should do something fun.”

If we’re being honest, I really didn’t want to get back into the bathroom tonight. I could always tackle that in the morning. So, I threw Saeran a bone, “Like what?”

“Well,” he started hanging upside down from the jungle gym, “There’s a rave downtown tonight. That’s always a good time.”

“I’m not really one for techno,” I shot him down.

“It’s not just techno,” Saeran clarified, “And believe it or not, they’re a lot of fun. Even if you don’t go there for the drugs or to get unbelievably wasted. It’s bright lights, loud music, cool people.”

I really didn’t want to. But to see Saeran get excited over something was like seeing a unicorn, so this had to be something good, “Hold on. Let me call your brother first.”

“Alright,” Saeran jumped down from the bar and took our trash away. Bless this boy.

Speaking of special boys in my life, I scrolled through my contacts until I got to the numbered section. Why didn’t I have him in my phone just as Seven, one may ask? Well, because I made the mistake of letting Seven put his name and number into my phone. And that’s why every time he calls, it comes up as 707, Defender of Justice, Attorney at Law, Ph.D., Esquire. Why? I don’t know. I don’t ask why Seven does anything. I learned that lesson the hard way long ago. But he is no attorney outside of the virtual world. He does not have a Ph.D. as far as I know. And the esquire part is just redundant if he’s already calling himself an Attorney at Law.

“Hello, my lovely 606…” Speak of the devil, “How may I help you on this fine evening?”

“Can we try that again?” I giggled. He may be a dork, but dammit, he’s my dork. And I wouldn’t have him any other way.

“Hi, MC…” If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was smiling on the other end.

“Hi, Seven,” I melted inside. He’s precious.

“How are you, my love?”

Honestly? I was still a little iffy from the whole Trevor situation, but Seven doesn’t need to worry about me. He does that enough, “Fine. What about you? How’s work coming along?”

“It’s…Coming,” he grumbled, “I’m so bored, MC! You should come over and keep me company.”

“Could I even do that?” Last I checked, Seven’s work was kind of sensitive. The less people that can get involved, the better, “Isn’t your work kind of hush, hush?”

“It is,” Seven whined, “UGH! Why do I have to be so good at what I do, MC? Wait a minute!”

“What?” Seven’s sudden excitement and enthusiasm caught me by surprise. And gave me a heart attack, but that’s here nor there.

“You know…” I could hear it in his voice. This boy was trying to seduce me. Likely in the name of procrastination, but I wasn’t going to tell him no, “We could just meet at your place.”

“Well,” I settled him, “Saeran invited me to a rave tonight…”

“Go,” Saeran insisted, helping me down from the jungle gym, “If you two need to go be gross, I’d rather you didn’t do that in the house.”

“Thank you, Saeran,” I curled into his shoulder, “Hey, Seven?”

“Yeah?” Seven perked up, “What is it, MC?”

I couldn’t wipe a smile off my face if I wanted to, “I’ll be there soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”


	6. Fire Safety with 707

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you cute little shit. 
> 
> Alright...I know what you're thinking. You saw the chapter title. And you know those aren't words that should go together. But just...Go with me. It'll be alright.
> 
> And...Well...Yeah. Favorite line = one shot for you. Let's get into it, yeah? Yeah. Let's go.

I know I just saw him this morning, but it feels like an eternity since I last saw Seven. What can I say? I miss him. I loved having him around. I loved having him at my side. I just…Loved him. I understand some time apart can do wonders for a relationship, but…I didn’t have to like it. But I missed our building. It’s weird to think I don’t come home here anymore. I got into the elevator and took it up to our floor. Now, Seven did ask me to come here. That doesn’t mean I can mess with him a little…Right? Just a little bit.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?” Seven yelled on the other side of the door.

I couldn’t help myself. I had to screw with him, “Topless maid service, Mr. Choi!”

“Jesus has a plan for you, honey,” Seven slid a pamphlet and easily a day’s wage under the door, “Good luck on whatever path He puts you on.”

Swear to God. I knocked again, “Topless maid, Mr. Choi. I’m nonrefundable.”

“Ok,” Seven opened the door, “Oh…MC…Wait a second. You’re not Vanderwood.”

“Seven,” I held my face in my hand, “Where in that did I even suggest that I was Vanderwood?”

“He’s the only one I’d trust to clean in here.”

“Oh, Seven,” I awed, “You really think people hire topless maids to genuinely clean their house. That is so cute.”

“Well, yeah,” he scoffed, “Why else would you hire a…? Oh…”

“Did you figure it out?”

“I think so,” Seven started blushing. Oh, yeah. He’s figured it out.

“Hi, honey.”

“Hi,” Seven stole a quick kiss.

“Miss me?” I wondered.

“Only when I’m working,” he took my hand, “Shall we adjourn to your place, my love?”

“Yes, please,” I dug around in my bag for my keys for a brief moment.

“MC,” Seven stopped me, “The door’s already unlocked.”

“Why…?” I worried. Only one person had the spare key to my apartment.

“You’ll see…” And if that person didn’t look like the cat that ate the canary.

Cautiously, I walked into my apartment. And my heart stopped, “Seven…”

“Mmmyyyeeeessss?”

The soft candlelight flickered around the room, serving as an altar for the pizza on the table. Just when I think I can’t love him more than I already do, Seven does something like this, “What did you do in here?”

“I left candles unattended,” he confessed, “I’m sorry. That is a major fire hazard, MC. You should never leave burning candles unattended. Always practice fire safety, kids. Fire safety is important.”

“Seven,” I melted inside, “This is so sweet.”

“Let no one ever say I’m not a romantic,” Seven wrapped his arms around my waist, “Now, if you’ll excuse me…I’m kind of starving, so…”

“Seven,” I rolled my eyes, “And you bitch at me for doing shit like that.”

“I know,” he mumbled through a mouthful of food, “The hypocrisy is not lost on me, MC. I pinky promise. But I’ve also been working all day.”

Wow…If that wasn’t the relatable statement of the day. I seem to remember someone else having the same problem today. And Saeran remedying that. Like Seven said, the hypocrisy is not lost. Not in this house, “I understand. I’ve been busy today, too.”

“What have you been up to?” he wondered, “No, wait! Let me guess! Commission project?”

“Um…” I bit my bottom lip, “Kind of. In a roundabout way.”

“Kind of?” Seven gave me a very concerned look, “What has my little minx gotten herself into since I’ve been here?”

“Um…” he was bound to find out eventually, MC. It’s not like he’ll ever see Saeran’s bathroom. I’m sure if Saeran had his way, he wouldn’t, but it’s going to happen. I might as well be honest with him, “If the house smells like wet paint when you come home, I apologize in advance.”

“AWW!” Seven threw himself onto the table with a certain dramatic flair that only Seven could do.

“What?” I jumped damn near to the ceiling, “I’m sorry, Seven. I got bored and I had the itch. I couldn’t turn that itch down.”

“No, it’s not that,” he brushed me off, “It’s just…Now I owe Saeran some money. It’s not a big deal.”

Then, I started to get a tad concerned, “Why would you owe Saeran money?”

“No reason.” Seven got quiet. Seven doesn’t get quiet. Nine times out of ten, Seven doesn’t know when to shut up. And I’ve been ok with that since day one. But Seven didn’t get quiet. When Seven gets quiet, that’s when MC gets nervous.

“Seven…” I had to pull out the mom voice on him. I didn’t like doing that often, but sometimes, it’s totally warranted.

“It’s nothing!” he whined, getting defensive. Aww…Isn’t he adorable? But I’m still a little worried about what Seven does when I’m not in the room, “It’s just…Um…”

“What is it, Seven?” I asked.

“Saeran and I may or may not have had a bet going,” Seven winced, “Just between us!”

“What were you two betting on?” I didn’t like where this one was going.

“On how long it would take for you to start tweaking the house once you moved in,” he came clean, “And Saeran had the first week. But I had faith in you and your restraint, MC! You let me down!”

“No, I didn’t,” I love this moron, “And…Well…It was no little tweaking.”

“What did you do, MC?”

“I may or may not have torn Saeran’s bathroom apart.”

“YOU TORE SAERAN’S BATHROOM APART?!” Seven squeaked.

“I wanted something small,” I explained myself, “I just wanted a low-risk project. Like something I could do in a weekend. But I’m almost done. I just need to do the shower tiles and put the new hardware on. Other than that, it’s coming together so nicely.”

“I’m sure it’s beautiful, MC,” he laced his fingers between mine, “Even now, when it’s in its current state of ruin.”

“Thanks, Seven.” I…am a puddle, “But it really is coming together so well. Saeran picked most of the colors, but I had to do a little nudging in different places.”

“You’re good at what you do,” Seven assured me, “That’s half the reason why I recommended you to V. And if you were working for the RFA, too, I didn’t have to hide it from you. Because it’s bad enough I have to hide work from you in the first place, MC. I don’t like hiding things from you. Good relationships are never built on secrets.”

“It’s alright, Seven,” I settled him, “It’s ok. I understand you handle highly classified information for a living. I’m not ever going to go poking around in that. I know better.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you are a very kind and patient girlfriend, MC?”

“Everyone that ever finds out that I’m dating you,” I teased him, “But I have to be. Have you ever met you? I’ve met you. It’s exhausting. But dammit, if it’s not worth it.”

“I think I’ll keep you around,” Seven gushed. And I’m pretty sure he may or may not have stuffed himself a little more than what he intended on doing, “MC…I feel large.”

“I’m sorry,” I awed, “Are you going to be ok?”

“I don’t know,” he flopped over on his chair, “I don’t know if I’ll survive.”

“I think you’ll be fine,” I giggled, getting up from the table, “Come on, you. Let’s go lay on the couch for a while, ok?”

“Yes, please.”

I helped Seven up from the table (and I’ll admit. Watching him slightly waddle tickled me.) and brought him down to the couch. Without even thinking of it, his head went right into my lap. I don’t know why I’d be surprised, but my dear, sweet, precious Seven. Why do you have to be so cute? Who gave you the right, sir? Seven buried his face in my stomach, content with the world. This one is mine. Somehow, this one is mine. I’ve been around the world and met many beautiful men. Yet somehow…This one. This is the one I stick with. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“MC,” Seven let out a little yawn, clinging to me for dear life, “Don’t make me go back to work…I don’t want to. I want it to just be you and me for the rest of the night. I don’t want to go back to work.”

“I know you don’t, baby,” I pushed his soft, red curls out of his face, “But you’ll be ok.”

“Promise…?”

“I promise,” I kissed his forehead, “And I promise that when you come home, I’ll be there. I’m not going to go run off on you.”

“And you’re not going to join a circus?” Seven wondered, “I could see you joining a circus, MC. You’d probably make a hell of a trapeze artist. Or a ribbon dancer. I could see you being a ribbon dancer. Like all Cirque de Soleil and shit. That’d be cool.”

“Yeah…” I giggled a bit, “I don’t think I have the upper arm strength for that, but I appreciate your confidence in me.”

“I don’t know,” he thought, “I bet if I ran toward you and leapt into your arms, you’d be able to catch me.”

“That’s because you weigh next to nothing, Seven.”

“I don’t feel like I weigh next to nothing,” Seven curled in closer into me, “But do you promise you’ll be waiting for me when I come home?”

“If I’m not in bed,” I swore, “Check Saeran’s bathroom floor. I might be there.”

“MC,” he hushed me, “I don’t want to find you on Saeran’s bathroom floor. Because if you’re on Saeran’s bathroom floor, that means you exhausted yourself to the point of passing out and I’m not having that. So, I don’t want to find you on Saeran’s bathroom floor. Got it?”

“Fine,” I held him a little closer, “I’ll go to bed when I get tired.”

“Good girl,” Seven gave me a little pat on the head, “You know, MC…You’re so pretty…So pretty…”

“And you’re too much for your own good some days,” I loved him. But that didn’t make that any less true. He’s exhausting, but it’s always worth it. But I looked down at him, “Seven…?”

Quiet…Quiet Seven can mean one of two things. Either he’s seething in a not ok way or…

A gentle snore came out of him. Ok…That’s better. I like that better than the alternative. Seven fell asleep. That’s adorable. Ok. Good. Good, good, good. He’s just asleep. Oh, Seven…You’ve worked hard enough today. I’m not going to make you work any more today, but what I will make you do is find a better place to sleep. My bed is still here and as comfortable as my couch is, it’s not meant for sleeping. I’ll put you to bed and then, I’ll go home. Ok?

“Seven…” I gave him a little nudge, “Seven…Wake up, baby. You’re not sleeping here.”

“Hm…?” Seven hardly twitched. I love him.

“Come on,” I nudged him again, “Let’s put you to bed, ok?”

“Ok…” he grumbled, still half asleep, “Your bed or mine?”

“Mine’s closer,” I pointed out, “You want to just sleep in my bed?”

“Yes, please…”

“Come on,” I helped him up. But I think he might still be asleep. Either that or his brain is at that special level of fried. I mean, I’ve had nights like this a hundred times over, but never have I ever let myself get this bad. I brought Seven into my bed and tucked him in. I kind of wanted to crawl in with him, but I knew if I didn’t come home, it’d only make Saeran worry. And I’m not doing that. I kissed his forehead and watched his face scrunch up. He’s so damn cute, “Good night, sweetheart.”

“Good night, MC…” Seven’s delirium was one of my favorite things in the world. He gets all babbly and rambly. It’s adorable, “Hey…MC?”

“Yeah, Seven?”

“Can you meet me in our dreams tonight?” he asked, “Wait for me at the space station.”

“I’ll try,” I gushed inside, giving him one last kiss, “I love you.”

“I love you, too…”

I stood in the doorway, ready to turn the lights off. Just get in bed, MC. You know you want to. But instead, I left him alone. And I went back home. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t stay. He needed to get some sleep and at the end of the day, he needed to get something done. But I couldn’t sleep to save my life. Two o’clock came and still nothing. I got out of bed and checked in on Saeran. But he was still not home.

He just hadn’t come back. I never really had to worry about him. Saeran wouldn’t chase after a balloon into the street. That’s something his brother would do. It can’t hurt to shoot him a quick text, right?

**_You:_ **

_You doing ok?_

**_Other half’s other half:_ **

_I’ll be home soon._

Good. Saeran’s alright. That’s good to hear. Still, I had a problem. I needed to sleep. The whole bed was all for me. And I could roll around all I want. But I’d rather have Seven here. But then, I had a brilliant idea. I went down into the basement and into the room underneath our bedroom. And it just happened to be Seven’s office. Ironic. I knew exactly what was missing.

I got on his computer and skimmed through his music collection. Come on. I know it’s on here. Seven’s got the weirdest taste in music. It’s a damn roller coaster from beginning to end. There it is. Got it. I turned on Mamma Mia and cranked it as high as it could go. Just enough to where I could hear it upstairs. When I crawled into bed, I could barely hear Mamma Mia underneath me. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. There’s what was missing. Other than having Seven here, this was the next best thing. I shut my eyes. And was out like a light.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you cute little bean. How are we? Well? Yeah? Well, I think you’ll be ok. You look lovely. Is that a new shirt? A new sweater? A new hat? Do something different with your hair? Well, whatever it is you’re doing, you’re doing it the best way you possibly can. You’re adorable. And I love you. You ready to get to this week’s post? Let’s go.
> 
> And the same rule applies. You find the favorite line, you win a one-shot of your choosing. x

Why couldn’t my dreams take me to the space station? Even when I opened my eyes, Seven wasn’t there. I rode in the car bed by myself last night. Because I tucked Seven into my old bed last night, so he could finally get some sleep. Worth it, though. I may not have liked it, but I could live with it for the night. So, what if I don’t wake up with Seven’s head on my stomach (or my boob, if we’re being more realistic) or with him wrapped around my waist? It was just for one night.

Instead of wallowing in sadness, I pushed myself out of bed and poked my head in Saeran’s door. Look at that. He’s sleeping like a baby. A baby that’s covered in glitter from head to toe. My god, Saeran, you really did go raving last night. Aww…You’re adorable. Although, that stack of black books was new. I wonder what those are all about. He didn’t strike me as the bookworm type. Regardless, I let Saeran sleep. God only knows what time he came in last night. Besides, a good rule of thumb was always to let Saeran sleep.

I walked into the kitchen and got off some coffee. It’s quiet in the house this morning. No music coming out of the basement. No cartoons or Hell’s Kitchen coming from the living room. It’s just…Quiet. It’s too quiet and I didn’t like it. So, what do I do? Slump down onto the top of the island and idly tap my fingers. The silence was maddening. But then, I heard the front door. It’s like a dog seeing its owner come home after the owner had been away for a week. God, please be Seven.

“Hi, baby!” I sang out, hoping I didn’t wake Saeran.

“Hi, MC.” That wasn’t Seven, “I don’t think you’ve ever been so excited to see me. Nor have you ever called me baby.”

“Oh…” I grumbled, reassuming my previous, mildly depressed position at the island, “Morning, Vanderwood.”

“Oh, come on,” Vanderwood awed, “You were so happy to see me two seconds ago. Where did that energy go?”

“Out the window,” I groaned.

“You ok, sweetheart?” he took the empty barstool next to me, “You seem kind of down.”

“Kind of?”

“Ok, ok,” Vanderwood corrected himself, “You seem downright miserable. What’s the problem?”

“I had to leave Seven at the office last night,” I vented, slowly sipping on my coffee, “And it’s bumming me out.”

“I’m sorry,” he put a hand to my shoulder, “How about a distraction, then, yeah? What do you got going on today?”

“I’m going to make the assumption you haven’t been in Saeran’s bathroom since yesterday,” I figured, “Have you?”

“Can’t say I have,” Vanderwood looked at me strange, “Why? Like…That’s a weird thing, right? I ask you what you’re doing. You bring up Saeran’s bathroom…”

“I’ve been busy,” I smiled a bit, “Remodeling is fun.”

“Excuse me?” he perked up, “What was that? Because if I didn’t know any better, MC, I’d think you were remodeling Saeran’s bathroom.”

“I have been,” I admitted, “I just moved a few things around.”

“Ok…” Vanderwood let out a little sigh of relief.

“Painted a little…”

And he went cold again, “Oh?”

“Put up some matte black subway tile…”

“Oh?”

“Haven’t changed out the faucet or the drawer handles yet,” I went on, “That’s today’s project. I finished around ten o’clock last night. Saeran made me quit, so I’d eat something.”

“Oh, MC,” Vanderwood draped an arm around me, “Please tell me there’s minimal mess to clean up.”

“There’s no mess at all,” I assured him, “I already took care of it.”

Without another word spoken between us, Vanderwood pulled me against his chest and hugged me tight, “I think I love you.”

“I love you, too, Vanderwood,” I giggled a bit, “You don’t have to ever worry about me. Seven and Saeran? Maybe on occasion. But I’m a much simpler creature.”

“You really do know how to make my job easier, don’t you?” he kissed the top of my head and got me more coffee. Pretty sure I made his day today.

“Mom has to take care of her kids sometime,” I shrugged, “It’s not always the nanny’s job.”

“You know what?” Vanderwood thought, “We really should hang out more.”

“You’re right,” I agreed, “Saturday night? We go out and get a drink?”

“My pleasure.” Oh, yeah. I just made a friend, “Are you going to need any help with the bathroom?”

“Nope,” I shook my head, “Just waiting on Saeran to wake up first. The last thing he needs to wake up to is the sound of power tools.”

“Saeran gets kind of pissy when you wake him up,” Vanderwood pointed out, already putting soap in the dishwasher. The man’s efficient.

“I know,” I still had a bandage on my arm from waking up Saeran, “I learned that one the hard way.”

“Did he bite you?”

“Oh, yeah,” I nodded, “He did bite me. Broke the skin and everything.”

“Did you go to the hospital for a tetanus shot?”

“No,” I brushed him off, “I don’t think it’ll be the end of the world. When I say he broke the skin, it wasn’t much.”

“Still, MC,” Vanderwood worried, “I’d hate for it to get infected because Saeran doesn’t know how to control himself.”

“It’s alright,” I peeled the bandage back. It was hardly there anymore, “It’s not the first time someone bit me like that. Likely not the last.”

“Here, MC,” he topped my coffee off, “And while you’re working on Saeran’s bathroom, if you need help, you know where I’ll be. Just say the word, ok?”

“Thanks, Vanderwood,” I liked having him around when Seven wasn’t here. Not that I couldn’t have a grown-up conversation with Seven, but it’s easier to have one with Vanderwood. He gets me in a different way than Seven does, “I finished the rest by myself, but I appreciate the sentiment. I got it.”

“Ok,” Vanderwood sent me on my way and I went into my current living masterpiece. Hello, beautiful. I hope you slept well. Because we’re going to finish today. Hell, probably this morning. If Saeran wakes up soon. I’m sure I could do a few things while he’s asleep. All I have left to do is put another coat of paint on the walls and finish the tilework. I did consider tearing up the floor, but the black and white tile in here was fine. It can coexist with the rest of it.

Screw it. Literally. Looks like we’ll have to work together another day, Mr. Drill. I’ll miss you. But since Saeran’s still sleeping, I shouldn’t use the power tools. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have a screwdriver I could use instead. I started undoing the drawer handles first. I could manage. I had it. These were so damn pretty. I’m glad we went with the antique brass. Although, I wouldn’t have minded the pewter either. They’d both be pretty in here, but Saeran picked the brass instead of the pewter, so here we are.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Speak of the sleepy devil. 

“Good morning, Saeran,” I chimed, “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“No,” he brushed me off, “I woke up on my own. But again. What the hell are you doing in my bathroom?”

“I’m sorry,” I winced, “I couldn’t help myself. I knew it was here and I had to finish it.”

“There’s a shock,” Saeran teased me a bit, “Don’t worry about it, MC. Go ahead. I’m not going to stop you. I’ll just steal your bathroom for the time being.”

“That’s the spirit!” And even better, I could finally stop using a screwdriver and use power tools. Good. My hand was starting to cramp up. And this would go by so much faster.

But then, I heard something coming from the front door. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Saeran took notice, “Is that…?”

“Seven’s home!” I squeaked.

“Hi, honey,” Seven joined us in Saeran’s bathroom, giving me a much more proper welcome. Oh, I missed him, “I thought I told you, MC. I didn’t want to find you on Saeran’s bathroom floor.”

“But here I am.” In case no one could tell, I’m so damn happy right now.

“It looks incredible in here,” Seven gushed, “I told you! You had nothing to worry about. I always knew you could do it.”

“And Saeyoung…” Saeran stuck his hand out.

“I think this annuls our previously agreed on bet,” Seven argued, “You pushed her to do it.”

“I did not,” Saeran promised, “She said she was bored, so we went to get cupcakes…”

“Aww!” Seven whined, “You got cupcakes without me?”

“I’m sorry, Seven,” I awed, “If it makes you feel any better, we can go get cupcakes without Saeran.”

“But then, I’d feel bad…”

“Could always bring one home for him,” I suggested.

“Hell of an idea, MC,” Saeran approved, “Because the last thing I want to do is third wheel you two on a date. Hard pass. Now, pay up, Saeyoung.”

“Nope,” Seven shook his head, “You still gave her the push.”

“No, I didn’t!” Saeran fought, “You didn’t let me finish. After we got cupcakes, MC said she wanted a can of paint, so we got a can of paint and that led to her destroying and putting my bathroom back together. I did not push her.”

“You didn’t try to stop me either, Saeran,” I pointed out.

“Because I knew better,” he scoffed, “I saw you in your zone, MC. I sure as hell didn’t want to get caught up in that mess. You should’ve seen her. She was worse than you.”

“Worse than me?” Seven perked up, “There’s such a thing?”

“MC when she’s in her zone,” Saeran shuddered, “Scared the shit out of me. Thought I’d have to call someone for her. Particularly you, but you were also working.”

“You could’ve called me,” Seven allowed, “I would’ve done something.”

“Are you serious?” Saeran squeaked, “I dealt with MC in her zone for nothing?!”

“Sorry, Saeran,” Seven giggled, shooting a quick wink at me, “She’s an excitable thing sometimes. But dammit, she’s cute, is she not?”

Saeran looked like a deer in the headlights. He’s adorable, “Is this a trick question?”

“I know you think I’m cute, Saeran,” I melted inside, “You’re not wrong. I’m adorable.”

“Yes, you are, baby,” Seven gave me a quick kiss, “That’s my girl.”

“Then,” I figured, “Now would be a bad time to tell you I’m having an affair with the milkman, wouldn’t it?”

“I knew it!” Seven let out an overexaggerated gasp, “I knew you and Frank had something special. I just…I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to admit my gal was a cheating hussy. Damn that cheatin’ woman!”

“Dear God,” Saeran held his face in his hands, “I’m not nearly awake enough to deal with your bullshit, so I’m going to let you two be weird in my bathroom.”

“Oh, come on, Saeran,” I whined, “Don’t be like that.”

“Too bad!” And there he goes…Off to brood elsewhere. But he did take one of those black books with him. Huh.

“Hey, MC,” Seven wondered, “Do you think we’re too hard on Saeran?”

“No,” I laughed a little, “We’re cute, though.”

“Yeah, we are,” he sat on the floor with me, looking around some more, “You really did do a nice job in here, 606.”

“Thank you,” I grabbed my drill and took off the rest of the handles. Oh…That’s so much nicer. So much nicer. But there was one other thing I needed to get off my chest, “Hey, Seven?”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t think…” I crossed my fingers, “Maybe I could blog Saeran’s bathroom? Because it’s so nondescript from the outside. It’s not like there are any windows in here. It’d be relatively safe. I know you said I wouldn’t be able to blog a lot about the house, but…I was kind of hoping you’d make an exception for this. And it’d be so nice to add to the portfolio when clients are asking me about…”

“Ok,” Seven allowed, “You’ve made a compelling enough case, MC. It’s fine with me. I will say this, though. If you didn’t go into design for a career choice, you’d make a killer lawyer.”

“No, thank you,” I shot him down, “I know I can argue with the best of them, but it’d suck my soul dry. I’m going to have to turn that down.”

“Understandable,” he let it go, “So, since you’re going to blog Saeran’s bathroom, does this mean you’re going to the office?”

“Looks that way,” I put the last drawer pull in. Oh, yeah. We made a good choice with that antique brass. Good for you, MC.

“Or…” Seven decided, “You could work here for the day instead. That’d be a cool thing for you to do.”

“Seven…”

“I just got home, MC,” he begged, “Please? Don’t go to the office yet.”

“I know you did,” I pulled him into my lap, “But…”

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?” How can I say no to a face like that? I mean…It’s impossible, “Please, please, please, please, please? Don’t go, MC…”

“Seven!” I hushed him.

“Alright…” he sighed out, “I understand.”

“It’s not that,” I kissed his forehead, “I can go to the office later. It’s not like I have anything announced yet or anything like that. I mean, I still need to do a blog post saying I moved, but…”

“YAY!” Seven squealed in the way that only Seven could. The sound of the broom hitting the kitchen floor gave me that feeling Vanderwood wasn’t nearly as excited about Seven being home as I was, “You know what that means, don’t you?”

“What, Seven?” I thought it over for a minute or two. Seven did just come home…Seven…I didn’t think you were going to be that saucy this early in the morning. Granted, it’s a little after ten, but still!

“I just finished a job!” Seven hopped up from the floor and took my hand, pulling me to my feet, “Pancakes! Let’s go, MC!”

“Alright, Seven…” I don’t know why I expected anything different. 

And to no one’s surprise, he struck the strangest superhero pose. He’s such a dork, “To the Sevenmobile!”

This was my boyfriend. This was who I was willingly with. I mean…He is kind of cute. And sweet. And an absolute enigma. But what can I say? It was part of his charm. Something tells me if I said I hadn’t eaten today, Seven would’ve beaten the shit out of me. Metaphorically, of course. This boy wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s too sweet. Someone needed to come and get their man…Oh, wait…That’s mine.

I missed him.

Home sweet home. I’ve grown to love this cozy little diner tucked away in the city. Even at a normal time of the day. But it’s even better when it’s two o’clock in the morning and I’m half asleep, but the asshole on the other side of me doesn’t know when quiet time is. But again, because he’s cute as shit, I can’t tell him no. I couldn’t be angry at the diner, though. It’s too wonderful. As was she.

“Hi, Florence!” Seven chimed, ready to come out of his skin.

“Seven!” Florence was the sweetest waitress I have ever had in my life and I wished no ill will to ever befall this woman, “Hi, sweetie. Hi, MC.”

“Hi, Florence,” I loved her.

“Let me guess,” she assumed, “Another job well done?”

“Both of us!” Seven gushed, “You should see what MC did. For me, it was just the standard job well done. But her? She ripped Saeran’s bathroom apart and put it back together a million times better than what it was in two days!”

“Really?” Florence awed, “Do you have pictures, MC?”

“Do I have pictures…?” I giggled, taking my phone out, “Of course I do.”

“You did this?” she gasped, scrolling through my phone, “MC, this is beautiful.”

“Thanks, Florence.” It’s cute when Seven gushes over me. But it’s even better when someone else does it. They’re not dating me. It hits different.

“Tell you what,” Florence decided, “You two are on me today. Pancakes, right?”

“That’s right!” Seven nodded, “But hold on, Florence…I’m thinking waffles.”

“Seven?” I started to get nervous. This boy was one of the biggest creatures of habit I have ever met in my life. And I knew me. 

Even Florence was questioning his already lacking sanity, “Are you sure about that, honey? For as long as I’ve known you, not once have you ever ordered waffles over pancakes. Do we need to go have you checked for something?”

“Nope!” a big ass grin stretched across his face, “Just like to keep you on your toes. Two short stacks, please.”

“Good,” Florence let out a sigh of relief. As did I, “You can’t worry me like that, Seven. I’m delicate. I’ll be back shortly, ok?”

“Ok!”

“Seven,” I held my face in my hands, “You’re exhausting.”

“But I’m cute as hell,” he pointed out, “And you love me.”

“Kind of,” I smirked a bit.

“Kind of nothing!” Seven argued, “I know better than that. Don’t give me that kind of hooey.”

“You know,” Florence put a Dr. Pepper in front of Seven and a lemonade in front of me. She knew. She got us, “You two are adorable.”

“Oh, you,” Seven blushed a little, sipping on his soda.

“So,” she wondered, “When’s the wedding?”

And in that moment, Seven not only choked on his soda, but I think his soul may have floated out of his body. I know Florence meant well, but Seven was a delicate creature, too. I gave him a quick swat on the back, just to make sure he didn’t hurt himself, “Seven? You alright?”

“Jesus, Florence,” Seven recovered, “You can’t just come out of the gate like that.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” she put an arm around him, “I didn’t mean for you to start choking like that. I just figured you’d be considering by now.”

“I don’t think we’re even close to ready for something like that,” Seven blinked the stars out of his eyes, “But I think I’ll be ok. A little dizzy, but I’ll be ok.”

“You know what, though, Seven?” Florence pulled up a seat. It’s a good thing it’s not that busy in here, “You never are. It’s just a leap you decide to take one day.”

“Really?” he wondered, “What makes you say that?”

“My husband and I,” she smiled, “We’ve been married for the last forty-three years. And do you know how long we were together before we got engaged?”

“How long?”

“Two months,” Florence went on, “We just…There wasn’t much thought about it. We just knew. At the end of the day, I loved him. He loved me. And we still do like it’s the first day we met all over again. I’m going to go get your pancakes, ok, sweetie?”

“Ok,” Seven allowed, “Thank you, Florence.”

“No problem!”

As Florence left to get our pancakes, I couldn’t help but think about her and her husband. That’s hard to believe. Two months and they got married? And have been for forty-three years? Seven and I had been together for a little over that. I don’t think we’re ready to get married yet, but…It’s something to think about. And if throwing RFA parties has taught me anything, it’s that I have a knack for party planning, too. It wouldn’t be much different to throw a wedding together.

“MC?” Seven nudged me under the table, “You got awfully quiet. What’s on your mind?”

“Oh,” I snapped out of my headspace, “It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?” he had a dirty little grin on his face, “You started mentally planning our wedding, didn’t you?”

Shit. I hate when he has me figured out, “…No?”

“Are you sure about that?” Dammit, Seven! Quit figuring me out, “Because I have that sneaky suspicion you’re lying to me, MC. And that’s not nice.”

“Well…” I bit my lip, “I’ve rolled it around my head a time or two.”

“I knew it!” Seven squeaked, “And? What were you thinking?”

I didn’t think he’d be so calm about this. Not after how he reacted to Florence bringing it up. Maybe it’s different because it’s me, “Dark, rich colors…”

“Really?” he gasped, “You? With your appreciation for pastels, you’re thinking dark?”

“Yeah,” I understood how it could seem a tad out of character, but I had ulterior motives, “Dark blues…Dark purples…Little splashes of dark reds here and there.”

Seven took a second to process it, “I like it. It’s very spacy, MC. Ten out of ten. It has my approval already. If it ever happens.”

“Spacy was the idea,” I admitted, “You got me thinking about it last night when you said something about us meeting at the space station in our dreams. For whatever reason, that felt kind of sweet and romantic. Just you and me in the void of space for eternity…I wouldn’t turn it down.”

“And you’re not even hopped up on pancake syrup yet,” Seven awed, “If I didn’t know any better, 606, I’d think you loved me.”

“Duh.” I rolled my eyes. He’s alright. He can stay.

“Here, honey,” Florence came back with our pancakes. Thank God. I’m starving.

“Thank you, Florence,” Seven’s eyes sparkled in the way they only did when he looked at celebratory pancakes. Even I didn’t get that look and I knew he loved me. This was the just for pancakes look. Yes, I know it’s weird. No, I don’t care.

But these were some big ass pancakes. I looked up at Seven, just to wipe the drool from his chin, “You do know we’re not going to be able to move after this, right?”

“Good,” Seven swooned, “Then, you won’t be able to leave me.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” I took his hand, “Ever.”

“Aww…” he melted, “You do love me, MC.”

“Yeah,” I giggled, “If I didn’t, why would I put up with you?”

“Because I wore you down and you had no other options because your biological clock was ticking and you thought to yourself, maybe you want a baby one day and I just happen to be cute?”

“What color is the sky in your world, Seven?”

“Usually blue. It just depends on the pattern. Sometimes, it’s striped. Sometimes, it’s polka dot. Sometimes, it’s a nice paisley.”

“You’re too much.”

“I try.”

Ring, ring.

Huh…That’s weird. That wasn’t my normal phone. And it’s not often my work phone rings at me. I dug around in my purse and grabbed my work phone. It could only be one person, “Hey, Seven? Do you mind if I take this outside?”

“Work phone?” he assumed.

“Yeah.”

“Go ahead,” Seven let me go, “Go make me proud, slugger.”

“If you say so,” I slid out of the booth while Seven was left with his pancakes. And mine. I knew exactly how many I had left. I swear to all things holy, if he steals any of them, we’re going to have words and he’s sleeping on the couch tonight. Regardless, I stepped outside and answered the call, “Hi, V.”

“Hello, MC,” V greeted me, “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

“Celebratory breakfast,” I brushed him off, “What’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking some things over lately,” V explained, “And it’s time for another RFA party. Are you up for it?”

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I wanted to, “Always.”


	8. It's Not the Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, friends! So, this is out HEEEEEEELLA late. I know. My laptop shit out on me and now, I have everything all situated on my new computer. So, say hi to Roy. Roy is a Pisces. He’s also very handsome. He’s sleek. He’s smart. And I love him. Not like Ralph. #FuckRalph2021 End of story. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go to bed now. Love you x

Well…That was a lot to unpack. But still, an RFA party is an RFA party. And if V’s so adamant about us having one again, that must mean Zen’s on his way home! Yay! I missed him. As much as I’ve loved hanging out with Saeran (and occasionally Seven, when he’s not working), I really miss hanging out with Zen, too. I doubt the three of us would be able to coexist in the same space without Saeran getting twitchy, but that’s alright. I like when it’s just Zen and me. And I love when it’s just Saeran and me. Soon. Hopefully.

“What was that all about?” Seven ushered me back into our booth.

“Everything’s fine,” I assured him. I knew how he worried, “I got party planning to do.”

“Again?” he gasped, “It feels like we just threw a party.”

“That was, maybe a little over a month ago, Seven,” I thought back. I remembered that party. It was the first one I ever planned for the RFA. When I met all of my new friends under one roof. And now, we get to do it all again.

“I know,” Seven swung his legs under the table, “But I miss having the family together. Why don’t we throw these parties more often? It’s not like you can’t pull them together quickly.”

“I know,” I agreed, taking a little pride in myself, “But I do deserve a little break once in a while, don’t I? On top of the party planning, I’m still running my blog. I’m still managing guests. I get the occasional commission my way. I’m a one-man operation here.”

“You really should consider getting an assistant, MC,” he insisted, “If you want, I can let you borrow Vanderwood for an afternoon!”

“Vanderwood’s a person,” I pointed out, “You can’t lend him to me like a cup of sugar.”

“Oh,” Seven teased, “So, what you’re saying is that Vanderwood’s your cup of sugar?”

“No, you idiot,” I held my face in my hands. This is your boyfriend, MC. You chose him willingly. You stuck by his side through some dark shit in both your lives. But here you two are. He might be an idiot, but he’s your idiot, “I’m just saying…”

“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded, “I know what you’re getting at. But seriously, MC. Do you want me get you the number for the agency I got Vanderwood from?”

“I don’t think I need an assistant that can also double as an assassin,” I giggled, well aware of Vanderwood’s possible license to kill.

“But it’s the best!” Seven squeaked, “If someone ever wants to hurt you in any way, I highly recommend having a Vanderwood. Jaehee would be the same way, too. MC, YOU SHOULD GET JAEHEE AS YOUR ASSISTANT!”

“Easy there, Seven,” I settled him, “How do you figure Jaehee could be my Vanderwood?”

“She’s got a black belt in judo,” he explained, “She could probably kill a man with her bare hands. But think of it, MC. You could get Jaehee away from Jumin and she wouldn’t have her ulcers anymore!”

“I don’t know about stepping on Jumin’s toes…” It’s bad enough I dig through his garbage.

“Oh, MC,” Seven awed, “I highly recommend stepping on Jumin’s toes. It’s so much fun. And he makes funny faces when you do it.”

“I meant figuratively…” I couldn’t deal with him anymore, “You’re exhausting, Seven.”

“I try my best,” he melted into his seat, “So…? What do you have planned for the RFA party this time around?”

“Seven,” I rolled my eyes a little, “Do I ever share with you my RFA party themes?”

“Sharing is caring, MC.”

“Not when it’s classified.”

“Alright,” Seven backed off, “You’re starting to sound like me. You can’t have classified information. That’s my job. And we’re part of the same organization! You can tell me! Your buddy, your pal, the love of your life, Seven. Please?”

“Nope,” I kept my mouth shut, “Don’t ruin the surprise.”

“You know, MC…” he smiled a bit, leaning over the table to give me a little kiss, “You’re so cute. Fine…I guess I’ll let it go. For now anyway.”

“You’re not really letting this go, are you?” I knew him better than that.

“Nope!” Seven hopped out of his side of the booth, “You ready?”

“Yeah.” If I ate anymore, I could very well throw up. And neither one of us need to deal with that today. And I wouldn’t want to put Florence through that. 

“Let’s roll!” he took my hand and pulled me onto my feet, “Let’s go home.”

“Um…” I bit my lip.

“Um?”

“Um,” I nodded, “Seven…I need to get some work done before I go home.”

“Come on, MC!” Seven whined. There was no winning when he started whining, “You work too hard. I feel like I hardly ever get to see you anymore!”

“Really?” I stared blankly at him, hoping his words would resonate for a second, “Are you sure about that, Seven? _I’m_ the one that works too hard here?”

“I know, I know,” he brushed me off, “The irony is not lost on me. I know I work my ass off, but it’d be nice that when I’m not working, I could at least get a little time with you…”

“I won’t be gone forever,” I promised, holding onto his hand, “It’ll just be for a little while.”

“Ok…” Seven tried to pout, but I could see a smile in there. Not nearly as effective, “So! Which hat does my hardworking lady have on today? The blogger hat? The party planner hat? The designer hat? You need a hat rack, MC. You have a lot of hats.”

“The blogger hat, you dork…” I loved this dork, though, so I’ll keep him around. But something about the brief moment of guilt trip Seven gave me about us not seeing a whole lot of each other (despite us moving in together) hit me in a weird way. I couldn’t leave him in that kind of headspace, “Tell you what…Are you busy tonight?”

“Nope!” he chimed, “I’m free for the rest of the night. All night, too! Why? What did you have in mind?”

“How about,” I slipped my hands into his hoody pockets, “You? Me? The roller rink, just the two of us?”

“MC,” Seven clutched his chest, almost as if he was feeling for his imaginary pearls, “You saucy minx.”

“Please?” I batted my eyelashes at him.

“It’s a date,” he kissed my forehead.

“And that, my dear Seven,” my smile tightened up into a devious smirk, “is how you do that.”

“Oh, 606, I love you a little more every day,” Seven wrapped his arm around my waist, “You want a ride to the office?”

“If it’s not too much trouble.”

“I never say no to a lady in distress,” he assured me, “What kind of Defender of Justice would I be if I did?”

“A pretty shitty one,” I jabbed, my head in his ribs, “But I’d still love you.”

“Thanks, MC,” Seven snuggled me, “That’s a very comforting thought.”

“So,” I figured, “You, me, the roller rink tonight?”

“Oh, the roller rink after dark,” he sighed out, “There is a romantic quality to it, isn’t there?”

“Absolutely,” I nodded.

“See you later, Florence!” Seven called back, “Thank you!”

“Anytime, sweetie!” Florence waved us out. 

And just like that, the two of us headed out. It sucked that I was going to have to leave Seven again. Even worse, I’d have to leave him the same way I left him last time. Only this time, I’m staying at my apartment and he’s going home. But we’d have the roller rink tonight. And that’d be ok. I suppose. At least, I hoped so. As long as nothing derailed our plans, we’d have the roller rink tonight. And I couldn’t wait.

But for now, I needed to get to work. I plugged my phone into my computer and started uploading my pictures from Saeran’s bathroom. I couldn’t gush enough about how nice that turned out. I loved it so much. It’d be better if Seven and Saeran didn’t have a bet riding on it, but I could let that go. That won’t make it into the blog post, but it did have a cozy place in my heart. 

This was weird. Once I was situated at my desk, a wave of nostalgia crashed over me. Oh, the good old days. When I first got this apartment, I was so excited. I could hardly contain myself. Although, in hindsight, I could see why my landlord was so anxious to get it in my hands. Back in the good old days when there was a pain in the ass neighbor next door that didn’t understand someone else lived on the other side of that wall. But I loved that pain in the ass neighbor. More than anything…

I don’t want to be here.

Not without my distraction, anyway. That sounded like a plan. And a phone call away…A very easy phone call to make. Once my pictures were in my computer, I took my phone off the cable and scrolled through my contacts for one 707, Defender of Justice, Attorney at Law, Ph.D., Esquire. Am I legally required to say that? I’m not sure. In my short time of living with Seven and Saeran, I don’t know what kind of weird shit Seven asks me to sign at two in the morning when I’m half asleep and he’s just coming to bed.

“Hey, baby…” Speak of the devil, “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“I was just wondering something,” I leaned back in my chair, “Are you _sure_ you don’t have anything you need to do at your own office?”

“Nope,” Seven figured, “I think everything is all buttoned up at the office for the day. Why?”

“Just curious,” I let it go, “I need to get back to work. I love you…”

“I love you, too!”

Click.

I let out a heavy, depressed sigh. It’s not the same. I missed him. I miss my favorite distraction. No. MC, you told him you’d be fine coming into the office. Pull yourself together! You can manage a few hours to get some work done. But I wasn’t really feeling it today. I knew I needed to get _something_ done, but I didn’t have that in me. And the frustration was starting to piss me off.

I knew what I could do. For the first time in what felt like months, I decided to open up my old chatroom. All bloggers. There weren’t many of us, but that was my RFA family before I had my RFA family. I haven’t talked to them in ages. And I missed them. Fortunately, there was one online! And in all honesty, she was my favorite out of the bunch. Of course, I’d never tell them that, but I think she knew. Quinn was an aesthetic blogger like me. She and I clicked like no one else did. Although, where my aesthetics were in places, hers were in people. But occasionally, I’d do some work for her. Mostly backgrounds for her models.

**_[MC has entered the chatroom]_ **

**Quinn** :

_OH MY GOD, MC!_

**MC** :

_Hi, Q. :)_

**Quinn** :

_It’s been ages since we last talked!_

_I miss you so much!_

I see Quinn’s just as excitable as ever.

**MC** :

_I miss you, too, Quinn._

**Quinn** :

_How are you, hon?_

_Last I heard anything, you got yourself involved with Zen. ;)_

_Good for you!_

**MC** :

_No._

_Zen and I never happened._

_That was just tabloid bullshit._

_I swear._

**Quinn** :

_Alright…_

_So!_

_What are you up to tonight?_

_I’d love to catch up._

**MC** :

_I can’t tonight._

_I’m going to the roller rink with my boyfriend tonight._

**Quinn** :

_To clarify…_

**MC** :

_Not Zen._

**Quinn** :

_You better hurry up then._

_The roller rink closes at six, doesn’t it?_

**MC** :

_Not for us._

_My boyfriend’s got a key._

_Apparently, he’s pretty tight with the owner._

**Quinn** :

_…What?_

**MC** :

_Whenever we go to the roller rink, it’s usually after hours._

**Quinn** :

_HE HAS KEYS TO THE ROLLER RINK?!_

**MC** :

_Um…_

_Yeah?_

_Quinn, why are you yelling at me?_

**Quinn** :

_MC, I love you._

Wait a second…I knew this one. Don’t get me wrong. I knew when Quinn’s love was genuine, but she never just said I love you out of the blue. Whenever that came out, she wanted something. And Quinn was relentless.

**MC** :

_What do you want, Quinn?_

**Quinn** :

_I’ve always wanted to do a shoot at the roller rink…_

_But it’s always too busy for me to do that._

_But!_

_If I could get in after hours…_

_I could work uninterrupted._

I gave the girl credit, though. She did lack any and all shame. In a way, I admired her for it. But I’d let her have that one.

**MC** :

_Again…_

_What do you want, Quinn?_

**Quinn** :

_Can I borrow your boyfriend’s keys?_

**MC** :

_No!_

_I’m not giving you my boyfriend’s roller rink key just so you can do a shoot._

**Quinn** :

_But MC…_

_Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?_

**MC:**

_No._

_Not happening._

_Sal trusts him with that key for a reason._

_We’re not just going to let you borrow it._

**Quinn:**

_If it makes you feel better about it, we could all go!_

_I don’t care if you don’t._

**MC:**

_Still not giving you the key, Quinn._

**Quinn:**

_Not giving…_

_Borrowing._

_I’ll give it right back and lock up when I’m done._

_WAIT A MINUTE, MC_

_I JUST GOT AN IDEA!_

Quinn with ideas made me nervous. Quinn with ideas made me more nervous than Seven with fireworks. I’d have to tread very lightly here.

**MC:**

_What’s that, Quinn?_

**Quinn:**

_Since you’re not going to give me the key…_

_And they’re your boyfriend’s keys…_

_And I still want my roller rink shoot…_

_And I know someone who has a cute little face that could lend itself perfectly to that…_

_Will you model for me?_

**MC:**

_ABSOLUTELY NOT._

I remembered the last time I modeled for Quinn like it was yesterday. I still had scars from that day. Both physical and mental. I don’t think so. There is no way in hell that’s happening.

**Quinn:**

_Come on, MC!_

**MC:**

_The last time was an absolute disaster._

_I’m not doing that again._

**Quinn:**

_I don’t even have any animals planned this time._

_They always are finicky to work with._

_You never know…_

**MC:**

_I’m not doing it, Quinn._

**Quinn:**

_What can I do to make you say yes?_

A blank check approach, huh? We’ll see about that.

**MC:**

_I don’t care, Quinn._

_I’m not doing it._

I had my reasons for why I liked to stay behind the camera. It’s safer behind the camera than in front of it. Let’s just leave it at that.

**Quinn:**

_Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease_ _?_

It’s a good thing I didn’t have this girl in front of me. It’d be catastrophic and I already would’ve folded like a cheap suit. But I always had a soft spot in my heart for Quinn. She and I worked at the same think tank together back before my blog really took off and I’ve helped her out any way I could since. But I may need to draw the line at modeling. It’s not just the snake bite (The snake had no venom. I was fine.) that got to me. When Quinn’s working with her models, she gets kind of pushy. Well…I say pushy. As much as I loved her, she could turn into a grade A bitch. But that was then. Maybe she’s not as bad now. 

**MC:**

_If we do this…_

_We do this on my terms._

_And only when I’m not busy._

**Quinn:**

_MC, I love you._

_I’ll make sure you’re free first!_

_Then…_

_We do the roller rink shoot?_

I’m going to hate myself for this.

**MC:**

_Yes, Quinn._

_We do the roller rink shoot._

I knew that girl was doing a happy dance behind her laptop screen. I could feel it. 

**Quinn:**

_You’re a lifesaver, MC!_

_I love you!_

_I love you!_

_I love you so much!_

Oh, Quinn…You are not being left alone in the same room as Seven. That kind of spastic energy would not work out well for me. How do I know? We’ll call it a hunch.

**MC:**

_I have to go, Quinn._

_I got a date soon._

**Quinn:**

_Ok!_

_See you soon! x_

**_[MC has left the chatroom.]_ **

****

Dear God, what have I done? I’m just helping out a friend. That’s all this is, right? Me being a good friend to Quinn when she needs one? Totally. That’s exactly what this is. Everything’s going to be fine. How am I going to get the roller rink key from Seven without him asking too many questions? Do I say it’s just for a work thing? Because technically, it is. Not my work, but I’m sure Quinn’s going to pay me like she did last time. The main thing is to get Seven’s key. He doesn’t need to come along for this ride. I know he would, but he doesn’t need to. It’d be a day of work where all he’d do is gush. That would be sweet, but it wouldn’t get anything done. 

Speaking of things that aren’t getting done that indirectly involve Seven, I went into my closet and skimmed it for something to wear tonight. Not all my clothes were at home quite yet. And that was by design. Right now, I only had a sliver in Seven’s closet. Soon enough, I’m sure I’d get more real estate, but I have to go in there and tear it apart. Then, I can put it back together and make it more user friendly. Let’s see. Roller rink…Roller rink. I’m not wearing any skirts or dresses. That would lead to problems down the road. We don’t need an upskirt shot. And I know I’m going to end up falling on my ass eventually. It’s self-fulfilling prophecy.

Tank top? Cut offs? That sounded like a good idea. I threw myself together and took one last look in the mirror. Damn, MC, you’re cute. And to think, you’re going to end up living on Quinn’s blog. Her blog with over two hundred thousand subscribers. Good times. No. MC, don’t do that to yourself. You were just having a high moment. Keep that high moment going.

Knock, knock.

Gee, who could it be? And when I have a date in…Now, “Who is it?”

“Topless maid!” a familiar voice called out on the other side. Likely in attempts to embarrass me.

I threw my door open to find not a topless maid on the other side, but my idiot boyfriend, “That only works when I do it, Seven.”

“That’s sexist!” Seven gasped, “I can be topless, too! MC, I thought you were better than that.”

“Are you ready, Seven?” I blew off his minor tirade, knowing he was screwing around. But it’s also Seven. Why would I expect any different?

“Yep!” he took my hand, “Let’s roll!”

I hung my head in shame. But I still adored him so much, “Pun intended?”

“Kind of,” Seven got the elevator button, “When aren’t my puns intended, MC? And they’re only the best in artesian puns. Handcrafted, organic, and locally grown by an adorable Korean boy. Remember. Wordplay responsibly, kids.”

“You’re a dork.”

“I’m your dork,” he laid his head on my shoulder, “And you wouldn’t get rid of me. My puns are ethical.”

“Yeah,” I giggled, “Of course, you’re my dork, Seven. It’s not like I’d want some other weirdo from this building. Could you see me with any of our neighbors?”

“Eww…” Seven cringed, “Pass. Besides, you got me, 606. You’re stuck with me.”

“Happily.”

Yep. This was the boy I fell in love with. This was the asshole that worked next door. This was my asshole that worked next door. And I couldn’t get anything done unless he was there. Does that make me clingy? It might. Just a little. But no one could blame me. Seven deserved all the love in the world. And I’ll be damned if I don’t give it to him. But for now, we needed to strap wheels to our feet and enjoy ourselves. If not just for tonight…


	9. You Are My Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, friends! How are we? Well? Good. Not well? Not good, but I understand. Hopefully, this can turn your day around. I would’ve posted earlier, but…
> 
> Ok, promise not to make fun of me…
> 
> I got a little caught up in my turnip prices in Animal Crossing and here we are.  
> -Hahahahahahahahaha!  
> Shut up, Seven! I said not to make fun of me!  
> -I not once made fun of you, Lumi. But I understand your plight. No worries.  
> Thank you. I’m glad you came here just to point and laugh at me.  
> -I’m not laughing AT you. I’m laughing WITH you.  
> You’re adorable, Seven. Here. Have a piece of Toblerone.  
> -HEY! TOBLERONE!  
> He’s so simple…Alright. Let’s get to this week’s chapter, yeah? Ok! Let’s go!  
> -Hey, Lumi?  
> Yes, Seven?  
> -Are you doing oneshots this week?  
> I have a list of oneshots I need to get done. Once those are out, I'll open up oneshots again. K?  
> -Fine...What's that outline on your desk for March 12th for?  
> Nothing.  
> -You know what March 12th is?  
> Yes. Shut up, Seven.  
> -That's Yoo...  
> SHUT UP, SEVEN. K BYE

I remember our first trip to the roller rink like it was yesterday. We had to finish our dance we started on the roof of our building. Never in a million years did I never think Seven had moves. But now, I couldn’t hear Steal My Sunshine without thinking about Seven. Other than the fact that he is the human embodiment of my sunshine. I shook off the conversation I had with Quinn and lived in the moment. It’s just Seven and me. And that’s all that mattered.

I sat on the edge of the bench and laced up my skates. Seven got me a pair a couple weeks ago and we kept them here. A pair of bright white ones. He asked me if I wanted them monogramed, but that just felt excessive. Seven himself was excessive enough. I didn’t need anything more than that. As I tied them up, Seven casually rolled back and forth in front of me, “So?”

“So what?” I asked, watching his adorable attempts of showing off.

“Are you going to need me to hold your hands?” he teased, “Or can you manage on your own like a big girl? Because there’s no shame if you need some help, MC.”

“You make me sound like I have two left feet!” I giggled, gladly taking his hand, “I don’t need to hold your hand. I want to hold your hand. Even when it’s all sweaty because you still get nervous around me.”

“I do not,” he got defensive, his cheeks turning pink. Only solidifying my point, “I just got warm hands. And it’s warm in here. Let me be!”

“Relax, Seven,” I kissed his cheek, “It’s cute that you still look at me the same way as the day we met.”

“You mean like you’re going to make my laptop die before my JAV can finish downloading?”

“That’s right,” I wrapped myself around his arm. He’s lucky he’s cute.

“Shall we then?” Seven whipped me into the rink while he went into the sound booth. One of those weird things I fell in love with was his weird ass music tastes. Seven was all over the place. In many aspects of his personality, but I digress.

“What?” I wondered, “I don’t get a say in this? And here I thought you prided yourself on being a gentleman.”

“I’m sorry, MC,” he awed, “Did you have any requests? Because even though there’s a good chance it’s going to get thrown out the window, it would be rude of me to not ask.”

“Seven,” I rolled my eyes, “You realize you’re too much, right?”

“Absolutely,” Seven beamed, “It’s part of my charm. Between my special brand of manic, my cute little face, and my nice ass, you wouldn’t have me any other way.”

He wasn’t wrong. But I didn’t want to tell him that. He didn’t need to know that. He didn’t know what kind of spell he has me under. I wouldn’t. No one could ever pay me to leave Seven. I just…I couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to him. He had a very cozy corner of my heart carved out for himself and I don’t think I could ever kick him out. But then, something in my head clicked.

“I do have a request,” I made my way into the booth and scrolled through the music. This place did have an infinite library. I have no doubt in my mind that might be my boyfriend’s fault. Let’s see…C…C…C! That’s what I needed. I put a song on the playlist and it was all I needed. It may not have been Steal My Sunshine, but dammit, every time I heard it…I could feel it. It tore at me like when he played the Beach Boys at loud volumes when I still lived next to his office. The two of us rolled out to the middle of the rink, skates strapped to our feet and a gentle acoustic guitar echoed around the room…Hold on…This wasn’t what I picked.

_I wish I could do better by you_

_‘Cause that’s what you deserve._

_You sacrifice so much of your life_

_in order for this to work._

_While I'm off chasing my own dreams_

_Sailing around the world_

_Please, know that I'm yours to keep_

_My beautiful girl_

I’m going to cry. I’m going to cry ugly tears and it’s not going to be pleasant for anyone involved. They’ll be able to mop the floor in here and the floor will never dry. This wasn’t what I picked, but dammit, I’m glad this came up. I buried my face in Seven’s shoulder, “Did you do this?”

“Of course, I did,” he kissed the top of my head, “I know it’s a little outside my usual weird ass realm, but…”

“I love you, Seven,” I didn’t care to hear the explanation. He didn’t need to be explained. Seven was never someone who needed to be explained. He needed to be experienced in order to understand him. Explaining him was a fruitless endeavor. That wasn’t ever going to happen.

He took my hand and spun me around a couple times, “I love you, too, MC. Obviously or I wouldn’t be playing you City and Colour. This came up while I was working the other night and it made me think of you. And it made me miss you. And it got me thinking that maybe while I’m working those long jobs, you should be holed up in your apartment, too.”

“Then,” I wondered, “What would’ve been the point of me moving in with you?”

“You’d still be living where we live now,” Seven clarified, “But you’d be within spitting distance all the time.”

“You know…” I wiped the almost tears out of my eyes, “When I put you to bed in my apartment…”

“I remember!”

“I went back home,” I went on, “And I turned on Mamma Mia in the basement, just so I could hear it through the floor. And it put me right to sleep.”

“Aww…” Seven gushed, “That’s so cute, 606. One of the things you hated most when you first met me is now your damn lullaby. You’re adorable.”

“I am adorable,” I agreed.

“You are absolutely precious,” he snuck in a little kiss, “To me, anyway. I mean…I wouldn’t get rid of you. You’re cute, you put up with me. Hell, you’re best friends with my brother. And he may need someone like you more than I do.”

“Hush,” I settled him, “I told you, Seven. I love you. I love Saeran, too, but not the same way I love you. I love you both for different reasons. But you just happened to get to me first.”

“So,” Seven wondered, “If you would’ve met Saeran before you met me, you would’ve ended up with him instead of me?”

“It could’ve gone that way,” I nodded, “But that doesn’t mean it would have. Maybe I would’ve still just ended up friends with Saeran, but I meet his pain in the ass brother and fall head over heels in love with him. Kind of like how we did.”

“Are you saying you’d still have a crush on me?”

“Who said I ever shook that crush on you off?” I rolled to the other side of the rink.

“What are you, twelve?” Seven laughed.

“On a scale from one to ten, baby!”

“That’s my girl!” he squeaked, taking my hand and whipping me to the other side.

“Hey!” I chirped, rolling back to the booth, “I need something to cheer me up before I start bawling.”

“What?” Seven asked, “The Girl didn’t do it for you?”

“It’s not that,” I told him, “It’s that you know how to rip my heart out and show it to me while it’s still beating. And only beating for you.”

“Oh, MC,” he awed, “You’re still adorable.”

“I do what I can.” Now, where is it? Because if I’m in need of severe sunshine and joy in one song, I knew a perfect one. Older than both of us combined, but I didn’t care. Seven’s not the only one in this family that can have a weird ass taste in music. Then, a very swingy horn section started playing. And Lesley Gore’s voice boomed from the speakers.

_Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows_

_Everything that’s wonderful is what I feel_

_When we’re together_

“606, I love you a little more every day,” Seven took my hand.

“I love you, too, Seven,” I jumped into his arms, not expecting him to actually catch me. Color me surprised, “Why do you say that?”

“Other than obvious reasons?”

“Other than obvious reasons,” I nodded.

“Because I think I’m rubbing off on you,” Seven did a few spins with me in his arms.

“What?” I scoffed, “You don’t think I couldn’t appreciate music much older than me _before_ I met you? No, no, no, sweetheart. It’s amazing what you get from aesthetic playlists you get in your group chats.”

“You’re _in_ my group chat, MC,” he reminded me, putting me back down on eight wheels, “Nobody sends aesthetic playlists.”

“This came from my friend Quinn a few years ago,” I remembered, “It’s on her spring/summer transition playlist.”

“Maybe we should do that in our group chat more often,” Seven thought, “Could you imagine if everyone threw in a playlist? That’d be an interesting mix.”

“Yeah,” I giggled, “The RFA mixtape. Good luck in figuring out who threw in what.”

“We should!” he got even more excited, “Hold on. Where’s my phone? We need to get in there.”

“Not right now,” I demanded, “We’re not doing RFA stuff tonight. Me getting the party planning call from V is as far as we need to go. It’s just the two of us tonight.”

“Fine,” Seven let it go, “Speaking of just the two of us, how was working on your blog post today?”

“Weird,” I sat on the railing, “I didn’t have Boney M on the other side of the wall, so…It was weird.”

“So, if you’re working,” he figured, “I should be working, too?”

“That’s how we were for a while,” I pointed out, “Were we not?”

“Yeah,” Seven smiled, lighting up the whole damn room and warming me to my core, “I miss those days.”

“Those days weren’t too long ago.”

“I know,” he grumbled, “They feel like yesterday and an eternity all at the same time.”

“They do,” I agreed, “But I did actually get an offer today.”

“Oh?” Seven perked up, “Do tell, MC. What kind of offer did you get? You didn’t have someone asking you for pictures of your feet, did you?”

“No.” And I thank God every day that I don’t get asked for pictures of my feet. Granted, I’ve been desperate for money before, but never have I been _that_ desperate, “My friend Quinn I told you about?”

“I’ve heard the name recently,” Seven joined me on the railing, “What about her?”

“She’s a blogger, too,” I explained, “She’s more of a people aesthetic blogger, though. But anyway, she’s been wanting to do a photoshoot here for the longest time, but she never could because it’s too busy.”

“She could just borrow my keys!” he offered, “All she has to do is ask.”

“That’s awfully sweet of you, Seven,” I melted inside. I think I love him. Not totally sure, but I think I love him, “But she asked me if I’d help her with her photoshoot.”

“That’s great, MC!” Seven approved, “Are you going to be in front of the camera or behind it?”

Shit…This was what I was kind of dreading. Because I knew Quinn wanted me in front of the camera. And I know Seven’s going to tell me to go in front of the camera, if not ask to help out. I don’t know which side of the camera I even wanted to be on. I’ve done photoshoots for Quinn before, but…It’s been a long damn time since I’ve done a proper photoshoot. And I’ve gotten a bit camera shy since then. Especially since a shit ton of pictures were taken of me without my permission and used in various publications.

“MC?” Seven gave me a little nudge, “You still in there, baby?”

“In front of it…” I kept my voice down.

“MC!” Seven let out the most excited squeal I’ve ever heard come out of him, “That’s awesome! You should totally do it! You’re so cute! And you could definitely mesh into the roller rink aesthetic. Does your friend know which era she’s going to go with? Never mind. But if it were me setting this shoot up, I’d go with the late sixties, early seventies. Neon pastels. Maybe a little bit into the eighties and throw in some arcade aesthetics. This could really shape up to be something.”

“Jesus Christ, Seven,” I settled him, “Since when did you become an expert in this kind of thing?”

“How quickly you forget, 606,” he argued, “You forget I have an entire closet in the guest room full of cosplay. You don’t think I’ve ever done a photoshoot before? I used to have V take all my pictures before he lost his vision. He was the only photographer I knew that wouldn’t judge. Or worse, try and hit on me. Like…I get that I get really cute in some cosplay, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking for someone to take me home. I got a special lady in my life that I go home with. That’s all I need.”

Oh, shit…I’m boned. Yeah. Seven and Quinn are not going to be left alone in the same room together. Ever, “That’s right. But I don’t know. I mean, I know Quinn wants me for this shoot because she wants the keys to the rink, but…I don’t know. It’s been a while since I did a shoot for her. She gets bossy.”

“She’s a perfectionist when it comes to her craft,” Seven booped me on the nose, “I know another someone that’s just like that.”

“I am not that big of a perfectionist.”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,” Seven rolled on the floor, “Oh, MC, I bullshit for a living and I wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to you. I know you better than that. You are, in fact, a perfectionist. I’ve seen you setting pictures up and making sure that everything was at exactly the right angle or you throw a total fit. I’ve seen you try and set up imperfect things and you manage to make them perfect. You can’t tell me you’re not a perfectionist.”

“I’m not that bad…” But he was right. I was that bad.

“I’m not saying that’s a bad thing,” he pulled me down to the floor with him, “Because it’s really not. When it gets to the point where it stresses you out more than it’s worth, that’s when it becomes a bad thing. I don’t want you stressing yourself sick, ok?”

“Alright,” I got one little kiss from him, “But this shoot, though…It’s not really my thing. I’m so used to being behind the camera and I’d much rather be behind the camera.”

“Then, maybe you need to get out of your comfort zone a little,” Seven thought it over, “But another day. When is this shoot supposed to be?”

“Whenever I say I can fit it into my schedule,” I laid my head on his shoulder, “So, after the RFA party.”

“That’s plenty of time,” he wrapped his arms around me, “I’m sure you’ll be able to make a decision by then. Even though you’re going to be heavily preoccupied with RFA business. And I’m sure that if V’s coming to town, I’m going to have more work coming my way, too. So, that means we’ll both be in the office at the same time.”

“Silver linings.”

“Alright then,” Seven got back up on his feet, offering a hand to me, “Should we head home then, my love? I know of a comfortable car bed waiting for me and I could use a cute girl like you riding shotgun.”

“My pleasure…” I love this boy. I love him so much.

If we’re being honest, I could stand the sleep, too. I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day and a comfortable bed and my loving boyfriend sounds like a hell of a way to cap it off. Not to mention, it is getting late. If we’re not home by midnight, Vanderwood knows. I don’t know how he knows, but he knows. And he gets pissed. It’s like we’re in high school all over again. 

Once we got home, I peeked my head in Saeran’s room. Already sleeping. Good. I was worried I’d have to tuck him in, too. Instead, I’d get to tuck in his brother. Worth it. Not that I don’t love Saeran, too, but I’m just happy to be tucking Seven into his own bed tonight. In our bed. Yeah. This was it. This was home. Saeran’s out like a light. Seven’s not at the office. Everything was fine. 

“Hey, MC,” Seven pulled me into his chest, “Can I ask you something?”

“Hmm?” I shut my eyes, already half asleep.

“Would you still love me if I bit you in the tum-tum?”

I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but I was too tired to give a shit, “Yeah.”

“Would you still love me if I wanted to roleplay in bed?”

“Depends on what it’d be,” I shrugged. What? I had my limits.

“Sexy nurse?”

“Which one of us is the sexy nurse?”

“You had to ask?”

I should’ve known better, “You?”

“You read me like a book,” Seven hugged me tighter, “Would you love me if I wanted to be the nurse and you’d be the one needing a quick appendectomy?”

“Why do I have to lose my appendix?”

“Answer the question, MC.”

“Yes,” I nodded, “I’d still love you. Would you still love me if I had my appendix?”

“Yeah…” he giggled a bit, “Would you love me if I wanted to get the nastiest mullet known to man?”

“You wouldn’t, Seven.”

“But…?”

I love this dork, “Yes. I’d still love you. But I would make fun of the mullet on a regular basis.”

“Would you still love me if I had a bowl cut?” Seven asked, running his fingers up and down my arm.

“Yes.”

“Would you still love me if I got a tattoo of Elly?”

“Jumin’s cat?” I looked at him strange.

“Excuse me?” he gasped, “She is a _queen!_ ”

“Yes,” I let him have that one, “I’d still love you if you got Jumin’s cat as a tattoo. Only if I could get one of Longcat.”

“I love you, MC,” Seven kissed my cheek, “I love you so much. You get me.”

“Someone has to,” I giggled, “Where is all this coming from?”

“Delirium brain.” That makes sense, “Good night, MC.”

“Good night,” I loved this moron. I loved him so much. He exhausted the hell out of me, but dammit, I loved him.


	10. Crackhead Energy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, friends! Look…I know what you’re thinking. You saw the chapter title. You know what this story is about. You know who this story is about. Don’t look at me like that. But I’m just going to say this. I know I’ve said it before, but dammit, Vanderwood doesn’t get paid enough. Love you! x

What the hell…? See, when I fell asleep last night, I seem to remember someone using my ribcage for a pillow. How in the hell did we switch positions? I don’t remember being snuggled quite like this. I’m not mad about it. Not in the least bit. It’s just that normally, Seven’s the little spoon. But I must admit. Having Seven wrapped around me was one of my favorite things. And to make it even better, I looked up at him. Seven was never one to wake up before me. However, this morning proved to be different. And damn, was I happy it was.

“Good morning, my dear, beloved 606,” Seven pushed my hair out of my face.

“Good morning,” I cranked my neck back, getting a good morning kiss from my adorable boyfriend.

“You sleep ok?” he asked, cradling me against his chest. Someone’s awfully cuddly today. I love it.

“For the most part,” I nodded, “What about you? Just tell me you got some sleep.”

“I always do when I sleep with you,” Seven ran his fingers down my spine, “You know what, MC?”

“What, Seven,” I shut my eyes for just a few moments more.

“I’m not letting you leave the house today,” he held me tighter as his legs entangled themselves in mine, “You’re staying right here. I forbid you to go anywhere for the whole day.”

“I’d love to, Seven,” I tried to get up, but to no avail, “But I can’t.”

“Yeah, you can,” Seven didn’t budge, “And you will. I won’t let you get up.”

“Then, I’ll be forced to pee on you, Seven,” I didn’t want to play dirty, but he left me no choice.

“Eww…” he groaned, “Why’d you have to take it too far, MC? Why’d you have to make it weird? And that’s coming from me! _I’m_ the one complaining you took it too far. And I’m the _king_ of taking it too far!”

“You were threatening me with capture,” I shrugged, “You had me cornered.”

“But you’re still staying right here,” Seven kissed my cheek.

“Seven,” I tried prying him off me. Despite me really not wanting to. This poor baby just wanted me to cuddle with for a little while longer. I couldn’t fault him for that, “I know. I wouldn’t mind staying here either, but I have a party to plan.”

“You can plan an RFA party here,” Seven whined, his face in my neck, “Right? Everything you need is right here.”

“Seven…

“Besides,” he squeezed me tight, “If you do all your party planning here, I get to give you kisses all day long whenever I want. With your permission, of course. We practice consent in this household.”

“I know, Seven,” I laid my head in his shoulder, “And I love you, but I’m on a strict deadline from V. I can’t have any distractions.”

“I’m the best distraction!” He took great pride in himself. Isn’t he precious?

“Yes, you are, honey,” I had to hand it to him. At least Seven was honest. I mean…The thought of Seven and me being all cuddled up while I plan an RFA party did sound nice. And what kind of shenanigans could Seven stir up while I’m working anyway? He’ll be fine. At least I sure as hell hope so, “Alright. I give. I’ll stay home today.”

Wait,” Seven sat straight up in bed, “Are you serious? You’ll actually work from home today? You’ll plan the next RFA party in my total crosshairs of random smooches?”

“Yeah,” I giggled, cashing in on those smooches already, “I’ll work here today.”

“Yay!” he squealed, “Do I need to…I GOT IT!”

“Jesus Christ, Seven,” I jumped at his sudden outburst.

“Which one?” Seven asked, “Jesus Christ or Seven?”

“How are you like this before coffee?” I grumbled, still a bit out of it myself, “How in the hell are you like this?”

“ADHD and severe chemical imbalance in my brain!” he leapt out of bed, “I know exactly what I’m doing today, MC! You go do your party planning. You have a full day of work and answering emails to get to!”

“Ok…?” I’m not wrong in being concerned here, am I? In our time together, I’ve come to expect the manic energy that comes out of Seven. But something about this outburst felt different. Let’s test the waters first, “Can I bring Saeran with me?”

“I’d be insulted if you didn’t!” Seven’s excitement held strong. If it were something major, I’m sure I would’ve had some resistance. So, that’s one thing I didn’t have to worry about. 

“Ok,” I pushed myself out of bed, “Could you make me a promise?”

“What’s that, MC?”

“Just promise me that you’ll call me if you need anything,” I begged, “Please. And don’t get too ahead of yourself.”

“I will and I won’t!”

And just like that, Seven took off like a bullet out of a gun. Isn’t he the cutest? But he scares me sometimes. He worries me on a regular basis. I’ve seen under the surface. I don’t think I was supposed to have that peek behind the curtain, but I have. And he couldn’t take it back. And that scared me most of all. How long is this manic energy going to last? And what’s going to happen when it bottoms out? And how long is it going to take Seven to realize that he ran out of here and forgot to…

“PANTS!” Seven ran back into our bedroom, “I kind of need pants!”

“Capital idea, Seven,” I rolled my eyes. It’s a good thing his head’s attached. Although, I have a feeling it’s not going to be nearly as attached as what it is now by this afternoon. I smell this energy fizzling out shortly after I leave. But still, it couldn’t hurt to have eyes on him. Fortunately, I was on great terms with his babysitter.

While my genius (yes…Actual genius. Not just in the ironic sense) boyfriend went on a great, grand search for pants, I went into the kitchen. Just because Seven’s gone full spastic before coffee doesn’t mean I have. I could use the slap to the face. Let’s see…Coffee or steal Saeran’s Red Bull. Well…I, for one, would like to live to see tomorrow, so coffee, it is. Besides, I know better than to steal Saeran’s Red Bull. That’s his life essence. Without it, he’s napping in the middle of the afternoon. And God bless him, Vanderwood was already making a pot. He’s my favorite. And I needed to ask him a favor anyway. 

“Morning, Vanderwood,” I sat at the island, still half asleep, but also half awake. Optimism is a plague we can all get behind…Dear god, I do hang around Seven too much. 

“Good morning, MC,” Vanderwood got a cup for me. It said number one grandma on it. I knew it was mine. Seven’s random gifts confuse and delight me so. He did say that could very well be applicable one day. It just happened to come early, “Two sugars and a splash of creamer, right?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t have to do that for me. I had two legs and two hands that all functioned. Yet Vanderwood being the sweetheart he is did it anyway. Maybe Seven was right. Maybe I need a Vanderwood, too. But I already had one, “Hey, Vanderwood, can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure,” he allowed, giving me the jumper cables my brain needed to start the day, “What’d you need?”

“I…” I kept my voice down, “I need you to keep a close eye on Seven today. And to keep me posted. Don’t get me wrong. I know he’s a spazz on his own. But…Today, he’s particularly spazzy and I don’t understand why.”

“He’s medicated for that, MC,” Vanderwood assured me, “He’ll be fine.”

“I know he is,” I went on, “But can you blame me? This isn’t just an off his meds kind of thing. This is…I don’t know. He’s got me nervous.”

“Ok,” he backed off a bit, “You don’t think he could possible be a danger to himself, do you?”

“When isn’t he?” I joked, remembering him tripping over his own feet on more than one occasion.

“MC,” Vanderwood sat next to me, “I’ve worked with Seven for a lot of years. I can tell when he’s his normal self and when he’s possibly having an episode of some sort. I’m sure he’ll be ok. If something happens, I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you not going to be home today?”

“No,” I shook my head, “I have to go plan an RFA party. Seven told me he wanted me to work here today, but then, it’s like a switch in his head flipped up and he said it was totally fine for me to work in my old apartment. Like…That’s not a normal Seven thing.”

“I’ll keep a close eye on him, MC,” he promised, “I’ll be sure to give you a call once in a while.”

“Thank you,” I laid my head on his shoulder. Damn, Vanderwood works out. That’s solid. But comfortable, “Really. I appreciate it.”

“I won’t just be calling to tattle on your boyfriend,” Vanderwood clarified, looking me over, “Are _you_ doing ok, MC?”

“Yeah,” I brushed him off, “I’m fine. It’s just…I worry about him. A lot. More than he knows.”

“Maybe you should tell him that, too,” he got back up and put the creamer back in the fridge.

“Tell who what?” Seven ran into the kitchen, still just as amped up as he was before. 

“Don’t worry about it, Seven,” Vanderwood brushed him off, giving me a subtle nod. He and I understood each other in the weirdest of ways, but at least I know I got Vanderwood’s eyes on Seven. 

Seven grabbed a granola bar out of the cabinet, kissed me quick, and jumped on Vanderwood’s back, “Let’s go, Vandy! We got shit to do!”

“Hold on,” Vanderwood put him back on the floor, “Seven…”

“Yeeeeees?” Ok…He’s put pants on. That’s comforting.

“Have you taken your medication today?”

“I sure have!” Seven jumped back onto Vanderwood’s back, “I love you, MC! See you later!”

“I love you, too.” That boy exhausts me, but I could only imagine what it’s like to be in Vanderwood’s shoes. Especially today of all days, “Good luck, Vanderwood.”

“Hey, MC,” Vanderwood called out to me, “You know how we were talking about Saturday night?”

“Yeah,” I remembered all about Saturday night. Along with understanding each other, Vanderwood and I had a mutual exasperation that we wouldn’t trade for the world. Well…At least I wouldn’t. Not sure about Vanderwood. Vanderwood might pay someone to take Seven off his hands in exchange for a capuchin monkey. Honestly, there wouldn’t be much difference, “What about it?”

“We’re moving up Saturday,” he decided, “Does tonight work for you? Say, nine o’clock?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“What’s Saturday?” Seven wondered.

“I’m going out with Vanderwood,” I told him, “Nothing overly exciting.”

“MC,” he gasped, “If you run off with Vanderwood and get married, I swear I’m breaking up with you.”

“Not a chance.” Says the man on Vanderwood’s back in the first place, “Don’t get me wrong. Vanderwood’s a delight. But it’s only you and me, you weirdo.”

“I love you,” Seven gave me one last kiss.

“I love you, too,” I melted inside. He really is the best. I watched as Vanderwood carried Seven off to the garage through the patio door. Seven may have his moments where he’s downright exhausting, but I really and truly wouldn’t trade a second of them for the world. 

“Um…” Speaking of people I wouldn’t trade for the world, “Did I miss something?”

Saeran stood by the fridge, incredibly confused as to what the hell just happened. I couldn’t blame him. I’ve been like that since I woke up, too, “Just planning girls’ night with Vanderwood. You wouldn’t want to come with us, would you, Saeran?”

“And third wheel you guys, too?” Saeran scoffed, “I’ll have to pass. But thanks for thinking of me.”

“Anytime,” I took the rest of the number one grandma’s coffee and poured it into a travel cup, “I’m going to go to the office today. If you need me, call me.”

“Will do,” he ran his finger over the Red Bull cans before stopping on a white one, “What do you need to go to the office for, MC? Did Saeyoung tell you it was cool to blog my bathroom?”

“Yes,” I confirmed, “But that’s beside the point. I got an RFA party to plan.”

“Joy,” Saeran hopped up on the counter, “And when should we be expecting that?”

“Next week,” I told him, “Don’t worry, Saeran. I just got the call last night. You still have plenty of time.”

“Ok,” he let it go, “You’re not going to need me for anything today, are you?”

“Not that I can think of.” Whenever Saeran played my assistant, it was just for little things. Get my coffee, bring me lunch, occasionally answer my fan mail for me, maybe do some light cleaning around my apartment. But for the most part, he did the same thing there as he did here. I made sure to set my DVR to record everything Saeran loved. Why? Because I’m a good person, “If I need you, I’ll call you, too.”

“Deal,” Saeran cracked open his Red Bull.

“I’ll see you later,” I kissed his cheek and took off for an exciting day of party planning for the RFA. 

Still, even when I threw myself into work, I couldn’t shake Seven’s sudden spasms out of my head. He’s got Vanderwood keeping an eye on him, so I’ll call that a load off my shoulders. And I get to go for drinks with Vanderwood later tonight! That should be fun. But still…Please be careful, Seven…


End file.
